Minority individuals and disadvantaged patients in the ED are more likely to be passed over and less likely to receive care over others with the same triage acuity, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Rohit Sangal, MD, and colleagues characterized disparities in ED care access in a study of 314,763 ED visits. Nearly one-quarter (28.8%) of patients experienced a queue jump, while 24.8% and 14.2% were passed over by a patient of the same or lower acuity, respectively. Overall, 16.8% and 7.6% of patients received care ahead of a patient of the same or higher acuity, respectively. Social factors associated with being passed over included having Medicaid insurance, being Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, or Latino ethnicity, and speaking Spanish as a primary language. Lower odds of a patient receiving care ahead of others were seen for ED visits by Medicare-insured, Medicaid-insured, Black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
