J Natl Med Assoc
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To evaluate images of vulvar conditions (VCs) in major gynecologic textbooks and describe the skin tone representation. ⋯ Most textbook images of VCs represent lighter skin tones, and women with darker skin are more underrepresented in texts geared at fellows and students. Inadequate exposure to the appearance of VCs on darker skin promotes and propagates racial inequities in healthcare. Medical textbooks should present visually diverse images of vulvar pathologies to train physicians to be well versed in caring for patients of all skin tones.
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Breast conservation surgery (BCS) and mastectomy have equivalent survivability. However, perception of surgical benefit may be affected by breast cancer subtypes, impacting procedure choice. We evaluate surgical management among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) breast cancer patients based on subtypes. ⋯ Significant differences are found in the surgical management of breast cancer with Black women more likely to receive BCS, less likely to undergo mastectomy compared to White counterparts even with TNBC or her-2+ subtypes. Understanding surgical decision making and how knowledge of subtype is applied deserves further study in women of diverse racial and ethnic groups.
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Racial disparities have been reported in post-stroke conditions such as aphasia, yet findings have been inconsistent. Prior studies have generally included small numbers of people of color for comparisons of outcome. Consequently, it is unclear if the racial disparities that are consistently observed in stroke, the primary cause of aphasia, parallel disparities in aphasia outcomes. ⋯ This study illustrates how more sophisticated statistical methods should be used to examine racial differences in aphasia and other communication outcomes particularly given differences commonly observed sociodemographic characteristics that are present in the primary cause of the disorders. Without careful analysis of data and consideration of its implications, researchers and clinicians will continue to ignore key differences in clinical populations that influence aphasia outcomes. More importantly, in order to grow knowledge in the field and a continue to improve clinical outcomes, the field must fully exploit tools of empirical analysis and focus their research on discovering, adapting and improving the lives of all individuals with aphasia.