National Healthcare Disparities Report 2005

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Table 2.2a. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Patient Safety

Core Report Measure	Racial Differenceⁱ					Ethnic Differenceⁱⁱ
	Black	Asianⁱⁱⁱ	NHOPIⁱⁱⁱ	AI/AN	>1 Race	Hispanic
Nosocomial Infections
Medicare beneficiaries with hospital-acquired bloodstream infection^iv	=
Medicare beneficiaries with ventilator-associated pneumonia^iv	=
Complications of Care
Postoperative hip fractures per 1,000 surgical discharges age 18 and over^v	=					=
Medicare beneficiaries with postoperative pulmonary embolus or deep vein thrombosis^iv	=
Iatrogenic pneumothorax per 1,000 relevant discharges^v	=	=				↑
Medicare beneficiaries with central venous catheter-associated mechanical complication^iv	=
Obstetric Trauma
Obstetric trauma per 1,000 vaginal deliveries without instrument assistance^v	↑	=				↑
Medication Safety
Elderly with inappropriate medications^vi	=

ⁱ Compared with Whites.

ⁱⁱ Compared with non-Hispanic Whites.

ⁱⁱⁱ Findings are presented separately for Asians and NHOPIs whenever possible. However, some data sources collected data for Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) as a single population; in these cases, the Asian and NHOPI cells are merged into a single cell representing APIs.

^iv Source: Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System, 2002.

^v Source: HCUP State Inpatient Databases disparities analysis file, 2002. This source categorizes race/ethnicity information as a single item: non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander. These contrasts compare each group with non-Hispanic Whites.

^vi Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2001. This source did not collect information on Asians and NHOPIs separately but in aggregate as Asian and Pacific Islander. This source did not collect information for >1 race.

Key: NHOPI = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native.

Key to Symbols Used in Quality of Health Care Tables:

= Group and comparison group receive about same quality of health care or have similar outcomes.

↑ Group receives better quality of health care than the comparison group or has better outcomes.

↓ Group receives poorer quality of health care than the comparison group or has worse outcomes.

Blank cell: Reliable estimate for group could not be made.

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