(Press-News.org) Background: Currently, people of Latiné/e/x/o/a, Hispanic, and/or Spanish (LHS) origin make up 19.1% of the population of the U.S. There is great variation in the personal experiences and family backgrounds of LHS individuals, including differences in country of origin, time in the U.S., colonization histories and immigration experiences.
Key Argument: This essay considers the importance of recognizing the heterogeneity of lived experiences among LHS populations in the U.S. in a health care context.
Why It Matters: Race is a sociopolitical construct that is often conflated with ethnicity. Both use broadly defined categories to identify one’s biological and cultural background. One’s race and/or ethnicity (self-identified and/or perceived), however, can have a profound impact on health risks as well as health care and outcomes. Aggregating patients by broad racial or ethnic groups creates risks for clinical care and research, even when clinicians and/or researchers are sensitive to diversity issues. As we work toward more equitable health care for minoritized populations, including for LHS communities as an aggregate group, it is important to recognize both the use and limits of racial/ethnic categorization and consider more nuanced aspects of biological and cultural heritage.
Optional Quote: “There is power in unity when advocating for community, social, and political change, especially as it pertains to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) efforts in academic institutions. Yet, there is also a critical need to disaggregate the LHS diaspora and its conceptualization based on differing experiences so that we may improve our understanding of the sociopolitical attributes that impact health.”
We Are Not All the Same: Implications of Heterogeneity Among Latiné/e/x/o/a, Hispanic, and Spanish Origin People
Diana N. Carvajal, MD, MPH, et al
Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
PRE-EMBARGO LINK (Link expires at 5 p.m. EDT May 28th, 2024)
PERMANENT LINK
END
Recognizing the range of experiences among individuals of Latino, Hispanic, and/or Spanish origin is an essential step toward health equity
2024-05-28
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
study reveals decline in reported medicare outpatient procedures by family physicians amid an aging population
2024-05-28
Background and Goal: Family physicians perform a wide range of procedures outside the hospital and tend to be office based. Examples may include surgical procedures such as excisions, suturing, and joint injections. Since the training can vary substantially, the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) issued a statement on which procedures they recommend physicians be able to perform competently upon completion of a family medicine residency. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which family physicians perform CAFM-recommended procedures for Medicare Part B, the outpatient portion ...
COVID-19 pandemic leads to drop in breast cancer screenings, especially among older and racial minority women
2024-05-28
Background and Goal: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. Early detection of the disease through screening can greatly improve the chances of successful treatment and is an essential preventive service in primary care. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted breast cancer screening as many screening programs were temporarily suspended due to personal concerns about exposure to the virus and the burden on the health care system. The goal of this study was to use real-world electronic health records (EHR) across the U.S. to examine the changes in breast cancer screening utilization since the COVID-19 pandemic and how the follow-up screening rates were impacted ...
Translating the Surgeon General’s framework on social isolation and loneliness to actionable steps in primary care
2024-05-28
Background & Goal: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 20% of adult primary care patients identified as lonely, representing a higher prevalence than many diseases commonly seen in primary care such as diabetes. Social isolation and loneliness are increasing over time, which is not only associated with increased health care utilization in primary care patients, but also with increased risk of chronic health conditions. Social isolation is reported to be equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day in terms of premature death. The U.S. Surgeon General recently released an advisory entitled, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” presenting a framework for action ...
Point/counterpoint: Is prediabetes overdiagnosed?
2024-05-28
Background: Prediabetes, a diagnosis intended to identify high-risk persons and prevent progression to diabetes, has been a topic of ongoing debate, and experts continue to disagree about its screening criteria, interpretation, and implications.
Author Stance: An epidemiologist and health services researcher argues that prediabetes is overdiagnosed. A prediabetes diagnosis for patients like herself who are at low risk of developing type 2 diabetes can cause more harm than good. They may experience undue distress, undergo unnecessary consultations and tests, and pay additional health care costs. It may be implied—incorrectly—that ...
Primary care clinics can help low-income families receive nutritional support benefits
2024-05-28
A research team designed a standardized process for helping low-income families navigate applications for federal nutrition support programs. Within a brief tablet-based nutrition screener completed at pediatric primary care visits, families were asked if they would like help applying for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. If they did, clinic staff followed up by telephone with application assistance. One limitation of this innovation is that some families were not able to be reached by telephone.
Connecting ...
The wall of evidence for continuity of care
2024-05-28
Background: A long-term relationship between a patient and their doctor, known as continuity of care, has seen a decline in recent decades in both the UK and the U.S. This decline has negatively impacted patient and physician health outcomes and well-being.
Editorial Stance: Building on Terrence McDonald and colleagues' research, which distinguishes between the continuity contributions of a practice and an individual clinician, increased physician continuity has been linked to reduced emergency department ...
Parents of children with serious illness from Somali, Hmong, and Latin American communities desire better communication and support in pediatric health care
2024-05-28
Background and Goal: Nearly 500,000 children in the U.S. live with serious or life-threatening illnesses. Family caregivers, especially parents, face the challenges of managing complex medical needs, navigating the health system, and advocating for their children. This often leads to psychological distress, depression, and anxiety for caregivers. Understanding the experiences of parents of children with serious illnesses, especially those who are racially and ethnically diverse, remains limited. This study examined the experiences of Somali, Hmong, and Latin American parents in pediatric serious illness care, aiming to identify improvements and reduce disparities in pediatric ...
Primary care can improve hygienic practices while reducing waste
2024-05-28
Background & Goal: Exam table paper is perceived as necessary for hygienic care; however, there is limited evidence for its efficacy. It may not stop disease transmission, and it may create a false sense of cleanliness. The Ontario Guidelines for Prevention & Control of Infection in Healthcare Settings do not endorse exam table paper, but rather recommend cleaning with specific low-level disinfectants (for example, 0.5% accelerated hydrogen peroxide). Additionally, there are negative economic and climate change impacts of using exam table paper. The average clinic seeing ...
HKUST researchers enhance performance of eco-friendly cooling applications by developing sustainable strategy to manipulate interfacial heat transfer
2024-05-28
Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a sustainable and controllable strategy to manipulate interfacial heat transfer, paving the way for improving the performance of eco-friendly cooling in various applications such as electronics, buildings and solar panels.
As demand for effective cooling solutions continues to grow due to the rising global temperature, scientists worldwide have been actively exploring energy-saving cooling technologies that are more effective. Compared to active cooling, which entirely depends on energy consumption ...
Variations in medical assistant to primary care clinician staffing ratios may reflect differences in practice ownership and organizational culture
2024-05-28
Background and goal: Medical assistants (MAs) are among the fastest growing occupations within the U.S. primary care workforce, and many practices have expanded the roles and caregiving responsibilities of primary care MAs. However, little is known about organizational factors associated with MA support levels for primary care clinicians (PCCs).
Study Approach: This study analyzed the current ratio of medical assistants (MAs) to primary care clinicians based on responses to the second National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS II), a 52-question survey ...