Race of Breast Cancer Patients Dictates Selection of Healthcare Providers

A new study reveals a link between race and selecting healthcare providers for breast cancer treatment, among US women.

According Reuters, the study showed that black and Hispanic women were less likely to make choices factoring doctor and hospital's reputation compared to white women. The study involved 222 white women, 142 black women and 136 Hispanic women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2010 and 2011. The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

Though the study showed that most common reason for choosing a doctor was a referral, minority patients were less likely to factor reputation. Only 18 percent black and 22 percent Hispanic patients considered doctors' reputation while 32 percent white patients chose surgeons based on reputation.

Choice of hospital too saw similar trends with smaller percentage of minority patients making choices based on reputation compared to white patients. The study stopped short of explaining the observations.

"White women more likely than minority women to select surgeons and hospitals based on reputation and less likely to be directed to surgeons and hospitals by their health plan or other physicians. These findings may explain some of the segregation in care that has been observed in other studies," researchers wrote calling for more research to determine how such selections affect in order to determine interventions to ensure quality care to all.