Literature
Curbside Consults Podcast
Published February 24, 2021
As part of our “Inclusivity in Medicine” series of Curbside Consults, we are joined by Dr. Samantha Meints, Clinical Pain Psychologist in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, to discuss racial disparities in the assessment and treatment of pain.
0:05 - Introduction
1:30 – Definition of pain
2:00 – Variation in how pain is experienced
3:40 – Factors influencing racial and ethnic pain disparities
4:45 – Coping strategies
5:50 – Reducing pain-related catastrophizing
7:00 – Physician biases
8:05 – Medical student and trainee education
9:20 – System-level factors
10:50 – Potential interventions
12:05 – Ongoing research and research needs
15:00 – Outro
Resources and articles discussed in this episode:
1. Akinlade O. Taking Black Pain Seriously. N Engl J Med 2020.
2. Hirsch AT et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial Testing a Virtual Perspective-taking Intervention to Reduce Race and Socioeconomic Status Disparities in Pain Care. Pain 2019.
3. Meints SM et al. Differences in Pain Coping Between Black and White Americans: A Meta-Analysis. J Pain 2016.
Inequity, inequality, and racism are once more being recognized as factors that are highly detrimental to good health and wellbeing. The Curbside Consults “Inclusivity in Medicine” series aims to explore how these factors affect patients and how they may be overcome.
The Curbside Consults series complements the foundational information in Rotation Prep by taking a deep dive into key clinical topics with expert clinicians and educators. These podcasts explore and critique the evidence behind clinical practice and break down statistical concepts for the busy clinical trainee.
