Deichen examines pregnancy related emergency service inequities
Megan E. Deichen Hanson, Ph.D., has compared waiting times for pregnancy related emergency services among women of different races. On average, when compared to non-Hispanic white women, women of other races and ethnicities had to wait longer for such care--often times significantly longer.
"The United States has dramatic inequities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality compared to other high income nations," Deichen Hansen explains, "This study sought to examine whether inequities were present in emergency room wait times."
The study has revealed that, for instance, the wait time for a non-Hispanic Black woman was, on average, 46% longer than a non-Hispanic white woman had to wait. Deichen Hansen has said this study "laid the groundwork" for future studies examining other specific instances of care inequities.