Continuing the race adjustment factors maintains health care disparities, the authors noted.
Clinicians should stop using the race adjustment factor in pulmonary function testing (PFT), according to a recent entry in the Things We Do for No Reason series in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
The authors wrote that adjusting spirometry values stems from old studies about differences in lung function among races, which were then applied to testing. As a result, lung volume reference values for Black patients are 10% to 15% lower than values for White patients.
There are 3 reasons why the race adjustment factor in PFT is injurious to patients, the authors wrote:
“The medical community should follow the lead of other equations, like estimated glomerular filtration rate and the vaginal birth after cesarean calculator, which have successfully removed race factors,” the authors wrote.
Continuing race adjustment maintains health care disparities, they said, and any concerns about the possibility of overdiagnosing disease must be outweighed by the harm that comes from underdiagnosing it.
They called upon clinicians to:
“As a profession, we must practice race-conscious medicine that values individualized care, recognizes the contributions of structural racism and social determinants in patient health, and standardize care when possible, based on objective metrics,” they wrote.
The Things We Do for No Reason series is inspired by the Choosing Wisely program, which seeks to promote high-value care by educating clinicians and the public about low-value care.
Reference
Beaverson S, Ngo VM, Pahuja M, Dow A, Nana-Sinkham P, Schefft M. Things We Do for No Reason: race adjustments in calculating lung function from spirometry measurements. J Hosp Med. Published online October 7, 2022. 10.1002/jhm.12974
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Lack of Mutations Associated With Favorable Prognosis in MPN-U
April 25th 2024While the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System and bone marrow blasts may predict overall survival, the lack of certain mutations is also associated with a better prognosis for myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U).
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
Read More
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Lack of Mutations Associated With Favorable Prognosis in MPN-U
April 25th 2024While the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System and bone marrow blasts may predict overall survival, the lack of certain mutations is also associated with a better prognosis for myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U).
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
Read More
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
Read More
2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512