When researchers break ethnic groups down into more specific groups and nationalities, more disparities often become apparent. However, there is a number of reasons why this may not be done, explained Chastity Washington, MPH, CHES, director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. 

Statisticians are data driven. You have to have a certain sample size or a certain number or number for it to be what's called statistically significant.

And sometimes, [it depends on] the community and the population. So I'm in Ohio, and we may not have a large enough Hispanic population, that when we use those numbers, we can truly from a research standpoint, say anything about it.

But then if you look at it individually, and then you add it collectively across the country, in places where there are other Hispanic populations, larger Hispanic populations, then I think that's when you can start to see these differences and parcel them out.

So I think we are moving towards that. I've been to a few conferences where people are encouraging that. I was on a call earlier this week, where a researcher had done that with the Asian population and started looking at specific Asian groups versus lumping everyone together. We also have to start collecting that.

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When researchers break ethnic groups down into more specific groups and nationalities, more disparities often become apparent. However, there is a number of reasons why this may not be done, explained Chastity Washington, MPH, CHES. 

Data Breakdowns May Uncover More Cancer Disparities

For healthcare, diversity in the workplace extends to the patients oncology nurses provide for, and it's important to understand that social determinants of health will affect the patient's treatment experience. At the 3rd Annual School of Nursing Oncology, Chasity M. Washington, MPH, CHES, director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed how nurses can be a champion for their patients and curb some of their own implicit biases.      

Know what your patient population is, interact with them, and know what their barriers are, and then speak out. If you're noticing there's a certain barrier for a certain population, make sure you bring that to the attention of the appropriate people in the organization. When you're doing your performance objectives or reviews, whatever you set as a goal or objective take them and [then] look at it from a health equity lens. Meaning, if you set a certain goal or objective is there a way to look at that and add some sort of health equity component to it. So again, I hope [nurses] take the implicit bias test and then based on their results get some sort of education and training on whatever areas they have a bias in. Then be that champion back at their university or their clinic that can be the person that shows the diversity lens when other people may not look at things that way.      

At the 3rd Annual School of Nursing Oncology, we had the chance to sit down with Chasity M. Washington, MPH, CHES, director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and discuss how to better understand each patient's unique situation.  
 

Chasity Washington MPH, CHES

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Data Breakdowns May Uncover More Cancer Disparities

Better Understanding Your Patient's Situation