Breast cancer survey
White women with breast cancer were more likely than black or Hispanic
women to be actively involved in the choice of surgeon or hospital for
their care, with minorities in the survey relying more on
doctor-directed or health plan-dictated choices.
All of the California-based women's surgeon selections were most frequently (78%) the result of a physician's referral decision, and health insurance plans dictated most decisions (58%) about the hospital of choice.
The study identified respondents by race/ethnicity, surveying 222 white, 142 black and 136 Hispanic women, and further categorized the Hispanic women by whether they spoke mainly English (89 women) or Spanish (47).
The authors present the following as their key findings:
- Black and Hispanic women were more likely than white women to select the statement, "I was referred to the surgeon by another doctor" for their breast cancer care
- Black and Hispanic patients were less likely than white patients to say they had followed reputation for their choice of surgeon or hospital
- Women who selected their surgeon based on reputation more often rated the care from their surgeon as excellent.
In background information for the study, the authors cite "well-described" evidence of disparities of care received by minority groups of patients. For breast cancer specifically, they cite this example:
"Black women are more likely than white women to undergo breast surgery at hospitals with lower rates of radiation use following breast conservation."
The researchers say that while disparities based on hospital and physician factors are well-described, "data are limited" on how women from different ethnic groups select their physician and hospital for cancer treatment. Concluding their findings on these questions, the authors say:
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