Research shows racial disparities in COVID-19 testing delays among healthcare workers

At the height of the pandemic, timely access to COVID-19 testing was crucial to combating the spread of the disease and making treatment decisions. Studies have revealed racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection rates, clinical outcomes, and access to treatment and testing.

However, to date, there is a gap in research specifically examining the link between race, ethnicity, and delayed COVID-19 testing among healthcare workers.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham’s health care system, examined the correlation between delays in COVID-19 testing and several demographic factors among health care workers (HCP). Their study found that the rate of delayed testing was significantly higher among non-Hispanic black HCP and non-Hispanic HCP of other races compared to non-Hispanic white HCP.

The paper is published in the news JAMA network opened.

The team conducted a cross-sectional analysis of testing practices among 5,541 healthcare providers at 15 academic medical centers in the US. They looked at data from December 2020 to April 2022. They focused on the timing of COVID-19 testing, which was categorized as delayed (conducted three days or more after the onset of symptoms) or early (conducted within two days after the onset of symptoms). They examined these factors in relation to gender, age, race, ethnicity, education level, job classification, comorbid conditions, vaccination status, and health insurance status.

Although there were no significant testing differences with respect to gender or age, the likelihood of delayed testing was greatest among non-Hispanic black HCP and non-Hispanic HCP of other races. In addition, postponement of testing was more common among those without a diploma.

“Delays in testing are important because they influence a person’s decision to isolate and can influence the spread of infection. In our study, even with adequate access to testing, we still observed disparities by race,” said DaMarcus E. Baymon, MD, principal investigator of the study and medical director of the Emergency Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“If the timeliness and importance of testing is not recognized in healthcare, it will remain a barrier that propagates existing racial disparities due to the pandemic.”

Peter C. Hou, MD, emergency medicine, trauma, burn and critical care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, contributed to the study as a senior author.