Health & Equity

Mayday for Pain: Public Discourse and Advocacy for Change

Miriam Ezenwa, College of Nursing

Comparative Effectiverness Research to Enhance Outcomes in African Americans with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Bharati Prasad, College of Medicine

Disparities in Diet and Depression: A Test of Jackson’s Hypothesis in a Multiethnic Urban Sample

Shannon Zenk, College of Nursing

Obesity Among Latino & African American Youth: An Ecological & Cultural Perspective

Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, College of Applied Health Science

Claudia Hernandez, Dermatology

Question:

Medical professionals often misdiagnose melanoma in African Americans. This project examines whether an educational module can improve medical residents' ability to correctly respond to an atypical skin lesion. We used standardized patients—actors trained to portray a case—to assess the ability of residents to detect an atypical skin lesion.

Findings: We obtained preliminary data from 8 residents, none of whom detected an atypical lesion on the black standardized patients.

Recommendations: Further work needs to be done on the subject of skin cancer detection in patients with darker skin tones. Both patients and physicians need further training on risk perception for skin cancer in all skin types, skin cancer detection, and the performance of regular skin examinations.

 

To learn more: Email Claudia Hernandez at claudiah@uic.edu.