A test is just that – a test – and a test would on its surface not have any biases attached to it.
Racially-Biased Testing
However, in a recent report by Lauran Neergaard at AP News, a racially biased medical test meant more than 14,000 Black kidney patients weren’t placed appropriately on the organ transplant waitlist:
At issue is a once widely used test that overestimated how well Black people’s kidneys were functioning, making them look healthier than they really were — all because of an automated formula that calculated results for Black and non-Black patients differently. That race-based equation could delay diagnosis of organ failure and evaluation for a transplant, exacerbating other disparities that already make Black patients more at risk of needing a new kidney but less likely to get one.
Kidney Health Test
Thanks to the efforts of the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology, laboratories have switched to race-free equations in calculating kidney function.
To learn more about kidney health and testing, please go to the National Kidney Foundation website.
PPAHS Statement on Black Lives Matter
There is no place for racial inequalities in healthcare.
We must act NOW to:
- Actively be anti-racist.
- Recognize that racism is not just a health disparity issue, but a societal issue that has a profound impact on ALL communities.
- Identify and call out racism, whether that it exists in ourselves, our neighbors, or in our leaders.
- Listen and follow black voices, like the Association of Black Cardiologists and the National Black Nurses Association.
To read the PPAHS Position Statement calling for racial equality, please click here.