An Anesthesic Disparity On The Delivery Of Black Women: A Sistematic Review

Abstract

Race and ethnicity disparities affect different spheres of society such as medicine, which makes studies on labor pain necessary. This review aimed to understand the disparities surrounding the recommendation of anesthesia by delivery of black women compared to white women. A systematic review was carried out using PubMed and BVS databases, from 1st of March of 2022 to the 1st of March of 2023, utilizing the terms "anesthesia" AND "delivery" AND "racial" AND "disparities". No publication date filters were used, however, papers in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were selected. Two researchers tracked the papers independently and, when there was disagreement, the third researcher analyzed them using the exclusion and inclusion criteria. A total of 59 articles were identified, and after eliminating duplicates, 38 had their titles and/or abstracts analyzed. Of those, 22 were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria and 16 papers were selected for a thorough examination, when five papers were eliminated by exclusion criteria. Finally, 11 papers were selected for qualitative analysis. The main issues addressed were: biased behaviors; belief that black women feel less pain; low racial diversity among health professionals; lack of trust in the healthcare system and in accepting anesthesia; socioeconomic and cultural divergences; and lack of information and understanding of the benefits and risks of anesthesia. Therefore, this review found many factors involving black women and their history in society and medicine, causing racial disparities regarding the use of anesthesia in childbirth. It is necessary to study them to reduce the harm caused