Latina and black women are less likely than white women to pick their surgeon and hospital for treatment based on reputation, according to a new, Medical Express reports.
Instead, they rely more on physician referrals and health plans for those decisions.
The study, published in JAMA Oncology, suggests less-active involvement of minority patients with regard to selecting physicians and hospitals for their care.
“Most women relied on referrals from their physicians for selecting surgeons, particularly black women and Spanish-speaking Hispanic women. In addition, minority patients were less likely to report reputation as an important component of their decisions about surgeons and hospitals and were more likely to select a hospital because it was part of their health plan,” according to the study, Medical Express reported
Promotion of thoughtful decision-making when choosing a physician and hospital may be an important part of addressing treatment disparities among racial/ethnic women.
“Interventions to promote involvement in provider selection may have potential for addressing disparities related to care from lower-quality providers and may improve satisfaction with care,” Dr. Rachel A. Freedman of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told HemOnc Today.
Share/Save