Background Unequal Treatment

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. 13 We will 1) provide background information, including a review of the Institute Of Medicine (IOM) report on healthcare disparities; 2) describe the racial and ethnic compositions of individuals in the ED setting from the perspective of both the patient and healthcare provider; 3) discuss 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 healthcare