Study Reveals Disparities: Black Women Often Prescribed Lower Doses of Postpartum Pain Relief

A Cedars-Sinai study involving 18,000 women unveiled disparities in postpartum pain medication, highlighting inequities even among those reporting severe pain. The research was published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. The investigation assessed both opioid and non-opioid medications to determine if racial and ethnic differences in peripartum pain management stemmed from variations in alternative pain relief. "Even after modifying our analysis to factor in non-opioid medications, Black and Hispanic patients indicating higher pain levels received diminished opioid doses compared to their white counterparts," explained Naomi Greene, PhD, principal investigator and research assistant professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Investigators analyzed electronic medical records from patients delivering at Cedars-Sinai from 2019 to 2021. Numerous variables were considered, yet none could elucidate the observed racial and ethnic disparities, as noted by Sarah J. Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, who underscores the necessity for further research to address these ongoing inequities.