[grobdriver]

Several factors, says ER nurse wife:

1. Blacks are statistically uninsured or under insured and will ask for pain meds less often.

2. Blacks are more likely to be intimidated by the medical environment and less likely to say to a nurse, "Hey, my kid hurts. How about some drugs over here."

3. The white/black ratio among nurses (who advocate for the patient) is fairly even, leaning towards blacks in many parts of the country, so even if a white doc is discriminating by not writing for a black patient, the nurse can go to him and say, "Hey, my patient is in a lot of pain - can we get something for them?"

4. As a rule, kids (all kids) are undermedicated in the US.

[don-o]

Took 26 posts to get to something substantive. Thanks for the insight.

As a rule, kids (all kids) are undermedicated in the US.

Care to expand on that? Because it's charged that too many lids are getting doped up to make them behave. This study is confined to the ER, I think.