Both race and insurance status influence whether patients live after trauma, leaving African-Americans and Latinos more likely to die in United States emergency rooms than whites according to a recent study from John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Insurance status was more strongly associated with death in the ER after trauma. The study also found the following:

  • For uninsured white patients, the odds of death in the ER go up by 55 percent. For uninsured minorities, the odds of death in the ER go up even higher—78 percent for black Americans and 130 percent for Hispanics.
  • In the ER 5.7 percent of whites died compared with 8.2 percent of African Americans and 9.1 of Hispanics. Additionally, 4.4 percent of insured patients died in the ER compared with 8.6 percent of uninsured patients.
  • People who don’t have health insurance are less likely to call an ambulance, which delays when they receive medical attention and worsens their condition.

Not sure when it’s necessary to head to emergency room? Read RH’s “Hospital Drama.”