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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Emergency Department: A Public Health Perspective

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Book cover Diversity and Inclusion in Quality Patient Care

Abstract

This chapter will discuss these disparities from a public health perspective; specifically, why racial and ethnic disparities threaten to impede the efforts to improve the nation’s health. We will: (1) provide background information, including a review of the Institute Of Medicine (IOM) report on health care disparities and public health implications; (2) describe the racial and ethnic compositions of individuals in the emergency department (ED) setting from the perspective of both the patient and health care provider; (3) discuss some of the most prevalent disease presentations to the ED that are likely to have racial and ethnic disparities; and (4) give conclusions and general recommendations on how to address disparities in emergency health care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Edward Stettner M.D., Leon L. Haley Jr. M.D., M.H.S.A., C.P.E. & Sheryl L. Heron M.D., M.P.H.

Authors
  1. Edward Stettner M.D.
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  2. Leon L. Haley Jr. M.D., M.H.S.A., C.P.E.
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  3. Sheryl L. Heron M.D., M.P.H.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheryl L. Heron M.D., M.P.H. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Emergency Medicine University of Virginia School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine, Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Marcus L. Martin

  2. Assistant Dean Clinical Education & Student Affairs Emory University School of Medicine, Professor of Emergency Medicine Vice Chair – Administrative Affairs, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Sheryl L. Heron

  3. Director of Diversity Department of Medicine Section of Emergency Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, Professor of Emergency Medicine Director of Research, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Lisa Moreno-Walton

  4. University of Virginia Hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Anna Walker Jones

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Stettner, E., Haley, L.L., Heron, S.L. (2016). Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Emergency Department: A Public Health Perspective. In: Martin, M., Heron, S., Moreno-Walton, L., Jones, A. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Quality Patient Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22840-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22840-2_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22839-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22840-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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