Healthcare system algorithms add to disparities in cancer care

Researchers from Salt Lake City-based Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and New York City-based Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health analyzed electronic health records information in two major healthcare systems and broke them into subgroups based on race, ethnicity, language preference and gender. They found disparities in the availability and comprehensiveness of cancer family history information among patients from historically medically underserved groups.

“Algorithms are being used by more health care systems to identify patients for specialty care,” Kim Kaphingst, ScD, director of Cancer Communication Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute, said in an Oct. 6 news release from Huntsman Cancer Institute. “However, systematic differences in electronic health record data leads to disparities in identifying patients. Providers are also less able to identify patients in need of changing cancer screening schedules based on their family history. Having less family history information in the record can have a trickle-down effect that negatively affects the care patients are receiving.”