MyBlack^® Health

Getting with the guidelines reduces racial disparities in MI care

Source: TheHeart.org

Miami, FL - Hospitals participating in the US Get With the Guidelines (GWTW) coronary artery disease quality monitoring and improvement program better their MI care across the board, and previous differences in care by race/ethnicity are reduced or eliminated, a new study suggests [1]. The study, published online May 17, 2010 in Circulation, was conducted by a group led by Dr Mauricio Cohen (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL). Cohen commented to heartwire: "This is the first time that it has been shown that by following a quality-improvement care program, hospitals can virtually eliminate racial disparities. Yes, we were only looking at what happened in the hospital, but that is a great starting point. Sustaining these measures over time should be the next long-term goal." In the paper, the authors explain that it is well-known that racial minorities are less likely than whites to receive evidence-based care and are more likely to be treated at facilities with lower adherence to composite measures. They sought to determine whether racial/ethnic differences in use of evidence-based care for MI exist among hospitals participating in the national GWTW campaign and to assess whether such programs are associated with decreasing health disparities over time.

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