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Previous retrospective studies have shown racial and ethnic disparities in administration of analgesics for long-bone fractures in the emergency department (JW Emerg Med Mar 1 2000). In a prospective, observational study designed to reexamine the issue, researchers reviewed analgesic ordering practices for patients with long-bone fractures who presented to two academic urban emergency departments from 2002 through 2006. Clinicians were aware that analgesic use for long-bone fractures was being studied, but they were not aware of the study’s focus on patient’s ethnicity.
The study population was 51% Hispanic/Latino, 28% black, and 20% white. Analgesic use was virtually identical in the three groups: 84%, 85%, and 86%, respectively. However, u…