Disparities in sports medicine health care
December 11, 2017 6 Comments
Most days of the week I see my pediatric sports medicine patients in two very different clinics: one is within the inner city of Columbus, Ohio itself; and one is in the foothills of Appalachia, a region described in the recent bestseller, Hillbilly Elegy. Among the patients I frequently see, I have many who could be described as urban poor (the former location), and many as rural poor (the latter).
In my care of these patients, I frequently see them (and their families) struggle with several barriers to excellent care — these range from financial issues, to issues of transportation and distance traveled, to issues of understanding related to educational levels, to a relative lack of resources at their home schools or clubs (e.g. no certified athletic trainers). I feel at a great loss, at times, in trying to help them achieve the same results I would want for any of my patients.
I read with great interest then, in the November 2017 CJSM, a newly published, original research study: Disparities in Athletic Training Staffing in Secondary School Sport: Implications for Concussion Identification. I found it so impactful, that I wanted to talk with the author — and so I tracked down Emily Kroshus ScD, MPH for this episode of the CJSM podcast.
Dr. Kroshus is a Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington, who is developing a body of academic work that focuses on “….identifying social and contextual determinants of help seeking behaviors, with an overarching interest in addressing disparities related to gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.”(1)
I hope you are as interested in this sort of research as much as I am. So take a listen to the podcast on iTunes or go to the CJSM website for the podcast (look for the radio button) and the study itself.
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(1) Dr. Kroshus’ biography can be found at the University of Washington faculty page: https://depts.washington.edu/uwgenped/directory/emilykroshus