UofU Anesthesiology Department Collaborates in International Study on Race and Ethnicity and Severe COVID-19
The UU department of anesthesiology enrolled patients in the COVID-19 critical care consortium, and faculty member Matthew Griffee was the lead author for the analysis of differences in treatments and outcomes by race and ethnicity.
While most investigations of social determinants of health and COVID-19 are from single states or countries, the collaborative effort included 7,394 patients from 32 countries, including high-income and middle-income countries, providing a uniquely broad perspective.
Aboriginal/First Nations patients (including persons from the US, Canada, and Australia) had higher average disease severity scores, compared to other ethnicity groups.
In the US cohort, the ethnicity with the highest mortality was American Indian or Alaska Native; this group frequently required mechanical ventilation and dialysis.
Because race and ethnicity are important considerations of social determinants of health, particularly when healthcare systems are under the stress of a pandemic, international registry studies should include such information in demographics.
Designation of race, ethnicity, and related concepts relating to socioeconomic status and access to healthcare is challenging in international registries, because there is no international nomenclature or harmonized system.
We propose a framework that recommends use of local ethnicity designations, emphasizes self-definition, and includes related socioeconomic designations, such as migrant or refugee status.
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