M105 - Evaluating Trends in Reporting Race and Ethnicity in Colorectal Surgery Research: A 14-year Analysis

Monday, June 3, 2024

12:05 PM – 12:11 PM ET, USA

Location: Room 314-317

Abstract Podium Presenter(s)

Julie S. Hong, MD

Resident
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
Flushing, NY, United States

All relevant financial disclosures have been managed and will be listed below.
This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Author(s)

WD

William Davis, MD

Resident
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
PH

Phillip Hwang, MD

Resident
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
SK

Shahenda Khedr, BA

Surgical Research Coordinator
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
VP

Vinh T. Phan, BS

Trauma Research
NewYork Presbyterian - Queens
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
RP

Roger Patron Lozano, MD FACS

Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
Weill Cornell Medicine
flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
CF

Christopher Foglia, MD FACS FASCRS

Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
Weill Cornell Medicine
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
DH

Daithi S. Heffernan, MD FACS AFRCSI

Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

SC

Steven Y. Chao, MD FACS

Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
Weill Cornell Medicine
Flushing, New York, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Purpose/Background: Differences in disease risk and outcomes by race and ethnicity have been reported for colorectal surgery. Although use of race and ethnicity in research is debated and complex, it is a common and often easily accessible demographic that already exists in many databases. Guidelines for clinical publications broadly recommend inclusion of baseline demographic characteristics. However, reporting race and ethnicity is not universal. We hypothesize that despite a growing public awareness of the impact of race, deficits in broad reporting of race remains in surgical literature.

Methods/Interventions: Two internationally recognized colorectal journals (Diseases of Colon and Rectum and Colorectal Diseases) were queried between 2010 and 2023 for all publications. Pubmed MeSH terms were utilized to specify for study designs including: prospective (observational cohort or randomized control trial) and retrospective (observational cohort) studies. Country of publication was determined by the institution of the first author. Studies from America were additionally queried for inclusion of race and ethnicity. For chi-square analysis, years were recategorized into 3 distinct time periods. (2010-2015, 2016-2020, and 2021-2023). Data were analyzed using SAS Academic.

Results/Outcomes: 797 studies were included. An average of 56.9 journal articles (SD +/-13.4) were included per year. Globally, 47 countries contributed 784 publications over the 14-year span. A majority of publications were published by European (n=467, 59.6%), North American (n=133, 16.9%), and Asian countries (n=108, 13.8%). A minority of publications were from Oceanic (n=39, 5.0%), South American (n=20, 2.6%), and African countries (n=17, 2.2%). Country of origin for publications did not change over time (F-value 1.59, p=0.15).

American studies (n=118) were analyzed as a subset. Race and ethnicity were reported in only 46% of studies (55 studies) A majority of these studies reported frequencies of White patients (n=53, 96.3%). Fewer studies reported frequencies for Black patients (n=43, 78.2%), Asian patients (n=22, 40.0%), and Hispanic patients (n=20, 36.4%). There was no significant change over time in rates of reporting White patients (X2 0.75, p=0.69), Black patients (X2 0.56, p=0.76), Asian patients (X2 0.29, p=0.87), or Hispanic patients (X2 4.82, p=0.090).

Conclusion/Discussion: Race and ethnicity are generally unmentioned in American manuscripts in prominent colorectal journals over the past 14 years. This is particularly concerning for Hispanic groups, whose patients are not represented in American literature and countries are not represented in global studies, where European studies are prevalent. Without data transparency, we cannot accurately describe and address healthcare disparities in colorectal surgery.