J Natl Med Assoc
-
A growing number of ethnic minority populations in the United States are from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, specifically Lebanon. This region is witnessing one of the highest expected increases in diabetes prevalence. However, limited data exists on how social determinants of health impact clinical care for diabetes in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the social determinants of health and their impact on clinical outcomes in Lebanese adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). ⋯ This is the first study to examine the relationship between social determinants of health and clinical outcomes for diabetes in the MENA region. Our findings suggest that living in an underprivileged neighborhood and built environment was significantly and independently associated with poor clinical outcomes among adults with T2DM in Lebanon. Findings from this study will inform care for immigrant populations with diabetes from the MENA region.
-
The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic has revealed multiple structural inequities within the United States (US), with high social vulnerability index communities shouldering the brunt of death and disability of this pandemic. BIPOC/Latinx people have undergone hospitalizations and death at magnitudes greater than White people in the US. The untold second casualties are health care workers that are suffering from increased risk of infection, death, and mental health crisis. ⋯ This opportunity for local, inclusive decision making and problem solving will both reflect the needs and give agency to community members while supporting the dismantling of structural racism and oppressive, exclusive policies. The authors are asking legislative and health system policy makers to adopt Restorative Justice practices for Crisis Standards of Care development. The US cannot afford to have additional reductions in inhabitant lifespan or the talent pool within healthcare.
-
The objective of this study is to examine how criminal justice involvement, specifically arrests, shapes health by race-gender status and age for Black, Latinx, and White men and women from adolescence to adulthood. ⋯ A history of arrest is important for health from adolescence to adulthood and varies by race-gender status and age. Those without arrests in their backgrounds enjoy better health at both younger and older ages. For those who experience arrest, they generally report poorer health from adolescence into adulthood. One exception is Black men for whom those with an arrest history report the lowest probability of poor health, compared to Black women, Latinx men, Latinx women, White men, and White women.
-
In the United States (US), dermatology remains one of the least diverse specialties in medicine. Increasing the diversity of the dermatology workforce is essential for reducing health disparities. ⋯ A holistic review of dermatology applicants by residency programs may reduce racial/ethnic disparities in the admission process. Our data provide further evidence in support of pre-medical outreach programs, mentorship, and institutional funding to promote diversity in dermatology.
-
Professional identity formation (PIF) is considered a fundamental process in the development of healthcare providers. In medical education, the PIF literature has historically centered on medicine's socialization practices involving white male physicians. However, recently researchers have begun to reveal how larger socio-historical contexts influence PIF in minoritized physicians. To better understand what influences Black/African American physicians' PIF, this study compares their PIF experiences to a group of minoritized physician assistants (PAs). In comparing Black physicians' experiences to another provider, this study explored what PIF experiences may be attributed to participants' minoritized status and what might be attributed to the culture of medicine. ⋯ Several possibilities that might explain why Black physicians and minoritized PAs have this one marked difference in their PIF experience, including identity threat, internalization of different discourses, and length of training for physicians. While this study was not designed to answer this question, it is clear that there is something in the culture of medicine and the training of physicians that signals to Black physicians that they cannot bring their whole selves to the profession.