Do Jerusalem's Arabs and Jews receive a different quality of medical care?

Researchers Amit Tirosh, Bmed, Ronit Calderon-Margalit, MD, MPH, Marianna Mazar, MD and Zvi Stern, MD compared the quality of care delivered to Jewish and Arab diabetes sufferers who were admitted to four major hospital emergency rooms in Jerusalem, to evaluate whether differences existed between the two groups and, if they did, their causes, given the common basis of health insurance coverage. The researchers found significant differences. As compared to the Jewish patients, Arab patients received:

• less diet counseling
• fewer recommendations and less support for physical activity
• less guidance in performing self foot examinations
• fewer medications prescribed

“Quality of care of Arab patients with diabetes is lower than that received by Jewish patients in the city,” write the authors in the article. “Resources should be invested in early detection of diabetes among the Arab population and in intensive treatment following diagnosis, together with lifestyle modifications to improve the quality of life among Arab patients with diabetes and to decrease the economic burden of the disease.”

The article, “Differences in Quality of Diabetes Care Between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem,” published by SAGE in the current issue of American Journal of Medical Quality, an official publication of The American College of Medical Quality, is available at no charge for a limited time at http://ajm.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/23/1/60.

The official journal of the American College of Medical Quality, the bimonthly American Journal of Medical Quality features original, peer-reviewed articles by noted experts. Publishing research, evaluations of health care management, updates, and other key content, the journal is focused on keeping readers informed about health care services, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas about the field. http://ajm.sagepub.com/

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. A privately owned corporation, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.sagepublications.com