Racial and ethnic differences in health and health care: lessons from an inner-city patient population actively using heroin and cocaine.

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse
Judith BernsteinRalph Hingson

Abstract

This study describes differences in health care utilization and recorded diagnoses in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 1175 out-of-treatment patients who screened positive for heroin and cocaine use during an outpatient visit to a drop-in clinic at an urban hospital. Blacks averaged more ED visits than Whites and higher average yearly ED charges than Hispanics (1,991 dollars vs. 1,603 dollars). Charges over two years totaled 6,111,660 dollars. Blacks were most likely to be diagnosed with injury, hypertension, cardiac disease, alcohol abuse/dependency, and sexually transmitted disease, and least likely to be diagnosed with psychiatric disease. Hispanics were most likely to be diagnosed with HIV, dental disease and drug overdoses, and least likely to be injured. Only 34% of this group of drug users was identified with a diagnosis of drug abuse or dependency.

References

Dec 30, 1999·Annals of Emergency Medicine·K H ToddL Goe
Oct 24, 2003·Preventive Medicine·Usha Sambamoorthi, Donna D McAlpine
Dec 21, 2004·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Judith BernsteinRalph Hingson

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Citations

Apr 15, 2010·Substance Abuse : Official Publication of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse·Teresa L KramerXiaotong Han
Jan 26, 2010·Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse·Teresa L KramerBrenda M Booth
Apr 1, 2011·Journal of Aging and Health·Luis R TorresAvelardo Valdez
Feb 27, 2016·Clinical Toxicology : the Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists·John R RichardsRichard A Lange
Oct 20, 2009·European Journal of Pharmacology·María José Fernández-SerranoAntonio Verdejo-García

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