Goins WA, Rodriguez A, Dunham CM, Shankar BS.
Black-white disparities in blunt trauma.
J Natl Med Assoc 1993;85(8):601-7.

The authors compared patterns of injury and access to trauma care between black and white patients (468 black patients and 2120 white patients) over a 41-month period. They concluded that increased mortality of black trauma patients may be related to risk factors (age, premorbid illness), increased rates of pedestrian accidents and falls, and disparities in access to Level I trauma centers.

“Whereas 70.6% of whites were transported from the scene and 73% were transported by helicopter, 52.7% of blacks were transported from the scene and 44% by helicopter.”

“The increased number of head and neck injuries seen in our group of black patients may account for some transfers… One may ask why these patients were not transported to a Level I trauma center initially. We are not sure whether blacks were initially undertriaged and the situation was then corrected by transfer or if financial reimbursement became a factor…”