Aiden Rancharan
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Anne Baetzel
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Anesthesiology / Medicine
Program:
Authors: Aiden Rancharan, Anne Baetzel
Session: Session 7: 4:40 pm – 5:30 pm
Poster: 4
Abstract
Our research project involves racial concordance and comfort in the field of pediatric anesthesia. We seek to provide further evidence that a diverse workplace is important for high quality patient care. Previous studies in different fields of health care have shown that racial concordance improves health outcomes in minority populations. Little if any research has looked at similar outcomes in the field of anesthesia. Our pilot study utilizes survey responses from families of pediatric patients undergoing surgery to analyze the effects of racial concordance on families’ comfort and confidence in the anesthetic care of their child. Patient families are approached about completing the survey in the pre-operative setting after they’ve had the opportunity to interact with their anesthesia team. Responses are sent anonymously to our survey website. After concluding data collection, responses will be sent for statistical analysis. We hypothesize that when patients and their families share the same race as their anesthesia team members, they will experience higher levels of comfort and confidence in care during the perioperative period. Our results may be used in different ways–legislation on promoting workforce diversity within healthcare, increased recruitment of minority students into health-related fields, highlighting current lack of diversity in surgical subspecialties. Data collection for our project is ongoing, so there are no conclusions yet. Our research relates to the idea that diversity in healthcare is important in all fields of healthcare. When healthcare workers share the same race as their patients, they may connect in different ways. Through sharing culture patients and their families may feel more comfortable/seen and therefore may contribute to the overall quality of care, communication and shared decision-making. The benefits of this research extend to patients everywhere, especially those who identify as minorities.
