Thursday, June 30, 2011

Study in D.C. hospitals reveals disparity in stroke treatment for blacks - The Washington Post

Study in D.C. hospitals reveals disparity in stroke treatment for blacks - The Washington Post: Blacks hospitalized for strokes in the District are one-third as likely as whites to receive lifesaving treatment, according to a study that seeks to understand racial disparities in treatment.

The findings, published online Thursday in the journal Stroke, offer a detailed look at the problem in a predominantly black urban population. Previous studies have shown that such disparities exist during treatment at a hospital. Researchers wanted to know why, so they surveyed stroke treatment by race at all seven acute-care hospitals in the District. Their findings, collected across an entire city with a large black population, are likely to have relevance for other predominantly black urban areas across the country.