Abstract
Background
Many authors report racial and ethnic disparities in total joint arthroplasty. The extent and implications, however, are not fully understood.
Questions/purposes
Our purposes in this breakout session were to (1) define “Where are we now?”; (2) outline “Where do we need to go?”; and (3) generate a plan for “How do we get there?” in addressing issues of racial disparity and total joint arthroplasty.
Where are we now?
Blacks and some other ethnic minorities have a greater incidence of arthritis and chronic disability than the population in general. Blacks have a lower use of total joint arthroplasty for a variety of reasons, including patient trust, perceived limited satisfaction with results by peers, varying knowledge about total joint arthroplasty, and concerns about pain associated with these procedures. Current data, however, are insufficient to clearly define the magnitude and nature of musculoskeletal disparities.
Where do we need to go?
We need to better define the magnitude and nature of racial disparities to best design and implement research questions and studies and target areas for improvement. We should define geographic and provider variation that lead to the differences in use that has been observed in total joint arthroplasty.
How do we get there?
A profession-wide emphasis and focus on disparities needs to be developed with other medical specialties and national organizations to advocate for changes to better define and address racial disparities. Partnerships with organizations and/or investigators that can gain access to relevant databases should be encouraged. Special attention to disparities and manuscript reviewing and editing is essential.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ang DC, Ibrahim SA, Burant CJ, Siminoff LA, Kwoh CK. Ethnic differences in the perception of prayer and consideration of joint replacement. Med Care. 2002;40:471–476.
Ang DC, Tahir N, Hanif H, Tong Y, Ibrahim SA. African Americans and whites are equally appropriate to be considered for total joint arthroplasty. J Rheumatol. 2009;36:1971–1976.
Armstrong K, Hughes-Halbert C, Asch DA. Patient preferences can be misleading as explanations for racial disparities in health care. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:950–954.
Byrne MM, O’Malley KJ, Suarez-Almazor ME. Ethnic differences in health preferences: analysis using willingness-to-pay. J Rheumatol. 2004;31:1811–1818.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Racial disparities in total knee replacement among Medicare enrollees—United States, 2000–2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:133–138.
Chang HJ, Mehta PS, Rosenberg A, Scrimshaw SC. Concerns of patients actively contemplating total knee replacement: differences by race and gender. Arthritis Care Res. 2004;51:117–123.
Clark JP, Hudak PL, Hawker GA, Coyte PC, Mahomed NN, Kreder HJ, Wright JG. The moving target: a qualitative study of elderly patients’ decision-making regarding total joint replacement surgery. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2004;86:1388–1374.
Dunlop DD, Manheim LM, Song J, Sohn MW, Feinglass JM, Chang HJ, Chang RW. Age and racial/ethnic disparities in arthritis-related hip and knee surgeries. Med Care. 2008:46:481–488.
Francis ML, Scaife SL, Zahnd WE, Cook EF, Schneeweiss S. Joint replacement surgeries among Medicare beneficiaries in rural compared with urban areas. Arthritis Rheum. 2009;60:3554–3562.
Hanchate AD, Zhang Y, Felson DT, Ash AS. Exploring the determinates of racial and ethnic disparities in total knee arthroplasty: health insurance, income and assets. Med Care. 2008;46:481–488.
Hausmann LR, Mor M, Hanusa BH, Zickmund S, Cohen PZ, Grant R, Kresevic DM, Gordon HS, Ling BS, Kwoh CK, Ibrahim SA. The effect of patient race on total joint replacement recommendations and utilization in the orthopedic setting. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25:982–988.
Hawker GA, Wright JG, Coyte PC, Williams JI, Harvey B, Glazier R, Wilkins A, Badley EM. Determining the need for hip and knee arthroplasty: the role of clinical severity and patients’ preferences. Med Care. 2001;39:206–216.
Heckler MM. Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health. Executive Summary. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 1985.
Ibrahim SA. Racial and ethnic disparities in hip and knee joint replacement: a review of research in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007;15(Suppl 1):S87–94.
Ibrahim SA, Siminoff LA, Burant CJ, Kwoh CK. Variation in perceptions of treatment and self-care practices in elderly with osteoarthritis: a comparison between African American and white patients. Arthritis Care Res. 2001;45:340–345.
Ibrahim SA, Siminoff LA, Burant CJ, Kwoh CK. Differences in expectations of outcome mediate African American/white patient differences in ‘willingness’ to consider joint replacement. Arthritis Rheum. 2002;46:2429–2435.
Katz JN. Preferences, quality and the (under) utilization of total joint arthroplasty. Med Care. 2001;39:203–205.
Kington R. NIH Consensus Statement on Total Knee Replacement. 2003;20:1–34.
Lavernia CJ, Alcerro JC, Rossi MD. Fear in arthroplasty: the role of race. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010;468:547–554.
Mahomed MD, Barrett J, Katz JN, Baron JA, Wright, Losina E. Epidemiology of total knee replacement in the United States Medicare population. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2005;87:1222–1228.
Montin L, Leino-Kilpi H, Suomenen T, Lepisto J. A systematic review of empirical studies between 1966 and 2005 of patient outcomes of total hip arthroplasty and related factors. J Clin Nurs. 2008;1:40–45.
Nelson CL. Disparities in orthopedic surgical intervention. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007;15(Suppl 1):S13–17.
Nwachukwu BU, Kenny AD, Losina E, Chibnik LB, Katz JN. Complications for racial and ethnic minority groups after total hip and knee replacement: a review of the literature. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2010;92:338–345.
Pierce RO Jr. Ethnic and racial disparities in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007;15(Suppl 1):S43–48.
Rowley DL, Jenkins BC, Frazier E. Utilization of joint arthroplasty: racial and ethnic disparities in the Veterans Health Care System. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007;15(Suppl 1):S43–48.
Skinner J, Weinstgein JN, Sporer SM, Wennberg JE. Racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in rates of knee arthroplasty among Medicare patients. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:1350–1359.
Skinner J, Zhou W, Weinstein J. The influence of income and race on total knee arthroplasty in the United States. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006; 88:2159–2166.
Suarez-Alamazor ME, Souchek J, Kelly PA, O’Malley K, Byrne M, Richardson M. Ethnic variation in knee replacement: patient preferences or uninformed disparity? Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1117–1124.
Sullivan LW. Keynote Address: The need for greater racial and ethnic diversity in orthopaedic surgery. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Jan 8 [Epub ahead of print].
Vines A, Godley PA. The challenges of eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities: Inescapable realities? Perplexing science? Ineffective policy? NC Med J. 2004;65:341–349.
Wang Y, Simpson JA, Wluka AE, Urquhart DM, English DR, Giles GG, Graves S, Cicuttini FM. Reduced rates of primary joint replacement for osteoarthritis in Italian and Greek migrants to Australia: the M Collaborative Cohort Study. Arthritis Res Ther. 2009;11:R86.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
One or more of the authors (RCM) is a paid consultant for Zimmer (MIO).
About this article
Cite this article
Morgan, R.C., Slover, J. Breakout Session: Ethnic and Racial Disparities in Joint Arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 469, 1886–1890 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-011-1897-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-011-1897-8