Now, it’s unlikely that this is due to a practice of deliberate exclusion, but it seems to me that this is a topic that gets far too little attention from the ACR. If disparities in the composition of our profession have anything to do with disparities in the outcomes of our patients, then neglect of this issue is not a tenable option. We have an opportunity to take a stand this year on the need for adequate racial diversity in rheumatology, and, more importantly, to take action as the ACR constructs its plan to deal with the well-documented and growing shortage of rheumatologists in the United States.
These are challenging times for the practice of rheumatology and for our academic rheumatology units, but let’s not shortchange our accomplishments, our strengths, and—most important—our values. Our character, as individuals and as a profession, is defined much more clearly in times of stress than in times of comfort. How we address disparities in the outcomes of rheumatic diseases will be an important element of that definition.
Epilogue: The rheumatologist from New York mentioned earlier in this column now works for a different institution.
Dr. Fox is president of the ACR. Contact him via e-mail at [email protected].
References
- Fry RB, Ray MN, Cobaugh DJ, et al. Racial/ethnic disparities in patient-reported nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) risk awareness, patient-doctor NSAID risk communication, and NSAID risk behavior. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(8):1539-1545.
- Suarez-Almazor M, Berrios-Rivera J, Cox V, et al. Initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy in minority and disadvantaged patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 2007; 34:2400-2407.
- Barrett K. Drug trials suffer from little diversity. ABC News. April 3, 2008. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story? id=4569099. Last accessed April 8, 2008.
- Lubbes S. Thousands of U.S. deaths attributed to lack of health Insurance. Congressional Quarterly. January 11, 2008.
- Rom M, Fins JJ, Mackenzie CR. Articulating a justice ethic for rheumatology: A critical analysis of disparities in rheumatic diseases. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(8):1343-1345.
