A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found disparities in wait times for women and Black adults who visit the E.R. for chest pain. Women reporting those symptoms in an ER waited on average 11 minutes longer than their male counterparts to be seen by a health care professional. And for women of color, that wait was even longer. Women of all races also received a less thorough initial evaluation.
The data in the report doesn't shock Dr. Myrna Alexander Nickens.
"I'm not surprised," says the Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "I've been doing this a long time. And that just means we need to keep training, keep teaching, and keep diversifying."
Nickens says a limited diversity of physicians can be a factor in the disparities. She thinks too often men are not fully educated on the symptoms of heart attacks in women, and that patients of color can be more comfortable talking to doctors of the same race.
"That's one reason we need a more diverse population of providers," Nickens explains. "I think that the conversation would be a little bit different if I'm talking to someone [who] feels comfortable talking to me because I'm African American. That would help that patient."
The overall rate of heart attacks in Black and white adults is similar. Dr. Nickens says increased wait times can lead to a higher risk of complications.
