Race, Ethnicity, and Analgesia Provision at Discharge Among Children With Long-Bone Fractures Requiring Emergency Care

Background: Inadequate treatment of painful conditions in children is a significant and complex problem. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of race/ethnicity on the provision of analgesic medicines at discharge in children treated emergently for a long-bone fracture. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients during a 1-year period with a long-bone fracture treated in 2 urban pediatric emergency departments was performed. Results: Eight hundred seventy-eight patients who met our inclusion criteria were identified. Sixty percent of patients received a prescription for an opioid-containing medicine, and 19% received a prescription for an over-the-counter analgesic medicine at emergency department discharge. Patients identified as African American, non-Hispanic, biracial, and Hispanic/Latino had significantly lower rates of opioid analgesic prescriptions when compared with other ethnic groups. White, non-Hispanic patients had lower rates of over-the-counter analgesic medicine prescriptions provided at discharge. Patients identified as white, non-Hispanic had a higher percentage of fractures that required reduction in the emergency department when compared with other ethnic groups. Conclusions: Race/ethnicity is associated with different analgesic prescription patterns in children treated in the emergency department for a long-bone fracture.