A. Filut is associate researcher, Center for Women's Health Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
M. Carnes is director, Center for Women's Health Research, and professor, Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
Acad Med. 2020 Dec;95(12):1796-1798. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003651.
A compelling case exists that increasing the number of Black physicians trained and practicing in the United States is one effective intervention to promote health equity and reduce the persistent health disparities that have become glaringly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the U.S. physician workforce has relatively few Black physicians. Blacks comprise approximately 13% of the U.S. population but only 5% of practicing physicians. In this Invited Commentary, the authors caution that the COVID-19 pandemic may erode the meager progress that has been made in increasing the number of Black physicians. This loss of Black physicians may happen because Black patients are overrepresented among cases of COVID-19, Black physicians care for relatively more Black patients often in settings with less access to SARS-CoV-2 testing and personal protective equipment, and Black physicians have more comorbid chronic conditions that increase their own susceptibility to mortality from COVID-19. All organizations in which physicians train and practice must redouble their efforts to recruit, train, and retain Black physicians. If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic must make academic health centers and health care systems recognize Black physicians as the precious resource they are and protect and reward them accordingly.
有充分的理由表明,增加在美国接受培训和执业的黑人医生的数量是促进健康公平和减少在 COVID-19 大流行期间明显存在的持续健康差距的有效干预措施之一。然而,美国的医生队伍中相对较少有黑人医生。黑人约占美国人口的 13%,但执业医生中只有 5%是黑人。在这篇特邀评论中,作者警告说,COVID-19 大流行可能会侵蚀在增加黑人医生数量方面取得的微薄进展。黑人医生的流失可能是因为 COVID-19 病例中黑人患者的比例过高,黑人医生通常在获得 SARS-CoV-2 检测和个人防护设备的机会较少的环境中照顾相对较多的黑人患者,以及黑人医生有更多的合并症慢性疾病,这增加了他们自己死于 COVID-19 的易感性。培训和执业医生的所有组织都必须加倍努力招募、培训和留住黑人医生。如果没有别的办法,COVID-19 大流行必须让学术医疗中心和医疗保健系统认识到黑人医生是他们宝贵的资源,并相应地保护和奖励他们。