A study appearing today in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that white people are more likely to receive powerful narcotic medications for pain when being treated at emergency rooms than their non-white counterparts.It revealed that some doctors show preferential treatment to white patients out of the assumption that a minority patient will abuse the more potent opioid pain meds.Ironically,while Hispanics are catching up to whites in the abuse of prescription drugs,blacks are less likely statistically to abuse prescription narcotics.The study was federally funded and data culled from ER visits to 500 hospitals for 4 weeks a year over the course of 13 years.It noted that minorities being treated at ER's for pain are more apt to be given ibuprofen,aspirin or similar nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain medications.
Advances in pain management protocol and policy are helping to close the gap,according to doctors involved in the study.
2 comments:
You know, from what I have personally seen, and the people that I have personally talked to, all are white - that I know that have become addicted to these drugs, or know someone who has. For example, I know a gentleman whose wife is an addict. She got in a car accident several years ago, and now takes more than a lethal dose everyday of these drugs. If she does not have them, she does not get out of bed - plain anmd simple. Her husband has not left because he is scared what will happen to her kids. Another guy I know, his brother is so hooked on them, and has learned to use the system (aka: the state) to get what he needs, either a trip to the ER for some ungodly known reason or whatever injury he fakes. Dr.'s give these meds out like it is candy. I think in order for you to get Hard pain killers - you should be investigated, and only worked up to those meds, meaning start with the lesser ones first. I bet a weeks salary, I could call a Dr., make an appt. for a back injury - that never happened and they would prescibe whatever drug I told them I needed. Hard Pain Killers. It is ashame, regardless of race, it's the misuse that gets me mad.
I guess they have the mentality that as long as they are legal drugs,they do not have a problem.Sadly,that is not true.the proliferation of online pharmacies have contributed to the problem too.
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