Marilyn Li
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Research Mentor(s): Thomas Valley, Assistant Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Internal Medicine, Michigan Medicine
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 6 (4pm-4:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 11
Presenter: 3
Abstract
Research has shown that racial minorities are twice as likely to develop respiratory failure than Whites, but remain inconclusive on whether minorities are more likely to die after respiratory failure. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to study these disparities and what interventions are needed in the ICU. This research project will focus on how care processes in the ICU contribute to racial health disparities in mechanical ventilation for adult patients. Our central hypothesis is that care processes related to mechanical ventilation such as sedation, fluid balance and end-of-life practices are contributors to differences in survival rates among different races. For example, the level and frequency of sedation given to a patient has shown to impact survival rates during mechanical ventilation. Critically ill minorities disproportionately receive deep sedation, and there is an association between higher mortality and deep sedation. Furthermore, clinical decision-making such as end-of-life care and palliative care consultations can be influenced by race and result in differing health outcomes. Systematic searches for clinical processes contributing racial disparities in respiratory failure the US were identified through Pubmed, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. Literature that has met the inclusion criteria were then assessed by the two independent readers conducting the systematic review. The findings report care processes for mechanical ventilation contributing to variation in risk-standardized mortality for respiratory failure by race. These results will provide a basis for researchers studying care processes that contribute to racial disparities in respiratory failure and inform hospital administration and other stakeholders to implement interventions.
Authors: Thomas Valley, Amanda Schutz, Marilyn Li, Alex Caches
Research Method: Clinical Research
