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Previous Volume 341:279-283 July 22, 1999 Number 4 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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In the February 25 issue of the Journal, Schulman et al. claimed that the "race and sex of a patient independently influence how physicians manage chest pain."¹ Their study received extensive coverage in the news media. It was reported in most major newspapers^2,3,4,5,6 and was a feature story on ABC's Nightline, with Surgeon General David Satcher providing commentary.⁷ Unfortunately, in each case, the results were overstated. We explore what went wrong and suggest ways to improve the communication of data to the public. Our purpose is not to deny the occurrence of racial or sex bias, rather to emphasize the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

The Study and Media Coverage

Problems in Communicating the Findings

"Study Shows Blacks Referred 7 Percent Less Often Than Whites"

"Study Finds Black Men and White Men Referred at the Same Rate"

"Study Suggests Possible Overtesting in Black Men and White Men"

Unintended Side Effects

How to Do Better

Reporting Absolute Event Rates

Converting Odds Ratios to Risk Ratios

Ensuring That Comparisons Are Appropriate

Questioning the Desired Outcome

Conclusions

References

Related Letters:

Race, Sex, and Referral for Cardiac Catheterization
Grima J., Persaud R., Woloshin S., Schwartz L. M., Welch H. G.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1999; 341:2021-2022, Dec 23, 1999. Correspondence

Race, Sex, and Physicians' Referrals for Cardiac Catheterization
Helft G., Worthley S. G., Chokron S., Davidoff F., Schulman K. A., Berlin J. A., Escarce J. J., Curfman G. D., Kassirer J. P.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1999; 341:285-287, Jul 22, 1999. Correspondence

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