Multiple Guardian reports describe an “ethnicity pain gap” in which people from minority ethnic backgrounds experience poorer pain recognition and treatment across healthcare settings in the UK. The coverage draws on a growing body of research, including UK findings based on data from more than 2.7 million births, that indicate women from Black and Asian backgrounds are less likely than white women to receive an epidural during childbirth. The reports also describe how this pattern is not limited to maternity care. They cite evidence that disparities persist in other parts of the health system, including emergency care, cancer treatment, and end-of-life care. Across these settings, the reports say minority ethnic patients may be required to demonstrate higher levels of pain before care is provided and may receive less effective treatment even when pain is acknowledged. One account included in the reporting describes an epidural that “failed” and staff who did not believe the person’s pain, reflecting the broader concern raised by researchers about under-recognition and inadequate pain management. The overall picture presented is that unequal pain experiences follow people from childhood through to death.
UK researchers find an ethnicity “pain gap” from childbirth to end-of-life care
Multiple Guardian reports describe an “ethnicity pain gap” in which people from minority ethnic backgrounds experience poorer pain recognition and treatment across healthcare settings in the UK. The c...
- Research and analyses cited report that people from minority ethnic backgrounds receive less effective pain care than white patients.
- UK data based on more than 2.7 million births finds women from Black and Asian backgrounds are less likely to receive an epidural during childbirth.
- Disparities are reported across multiple healthcare settings, including maternity services, emergency care, cancer treatment, and end-of-life care.
- One reported pattern is that minority ethnic patients may be asked to report or demonstrate higher pain levels before treatment is provided.
- Accounts in the reporting describe cases where patients feel pain is not believed or adequately managed, even when treatment is attempted.
Women from minority backgrounds are less likely to receive adequate pain relief during childbirthWomen from minority backgrounds in UK less likely to get epidurals, study findsHow the ethnicity pain gap follows people from birth to deathJulie Hammond, a 35-year-old mother of three from Kent, believes that the “excruciating” pain she experienced during the birth of her second child was not well managed by the medical professionals caring for her.“It’s difficult to put into words just how traumatic it was,” Hammond says. “I could just feel myself panicking throughout the whole procedure, while also trying to tell myself to calm down.” Continue reading...
2 hours agoExclusive: Guardian analysis exposes evidence of racial inequalities in pain relief offered across healthcare‘The epidural failed and no one believed me’How the ethnicity pain gap follows people from birth to deathWomen from Black and Asian backgrounds are less likely than their white counterparts to receive an epidural while giving birth, research has revealed.The findings, based on data collected from more than 2.7 million births in the UK, prompted experts to raise the alarm about an “ethnicity pain gap” that means people of colour are more likely to be deprived of adequate pain relief within medical settings. Continue reading...
2 hours agoPatients from minority ethnic backgrounds often have to demonstrate higher levels of pain, only to receive less effective treatment‘The epidural failed and no one believed me’Women from minority backgrounds less likely to receive epidurals, study findsA growing body of global research has shown that patients from minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely to have their pain recognised, believed and adequately treated – with disparities experienced from childhood all the way through to end-of-life care.Evidence suggests these disparities persist across multiple healthcare settings, including emergency care, maternity services, and cancer treatment. Study after study from different countries has found that patients from minority ethnic backgrounds are frequently required to demonstrate higher levels of pain before receiving treatment, and are often given less effective treatment even when their pain is acknowledged. Continue reading...
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