Community Context and Disparities in Bystander Support During Medical Emergencies

• In Event: 568 - Regular Session. Health, Class, and Inequality

Abstract

Sociological research suggests that disparities in the availability of social capital may be a key mechanism underlying the relationship between neighborhood structural disadvantage and health. Much of the evidence supporting this theory stems from studies of disease onset, health decline, or mortality following years of neighborhood residence. However, less attention has been devoted to examining how local contexts shape outcomes of immediate and/or acute health events, such as medical emergencies. Laypersons are often the first on the scene of medical emergencies in public places, and the help they provide can substantially enhance patient outcomes. In this study, we examine rates at which patients suffering medical emergencies receive support from a layperson bystander, and how such support varies across patients and communities within which the incidents occurred. We use a unique dataset including 22,494 patients from the 2011 National Emergency Medical Services Information System, combined with characteristics of incident counties from the 2010 US Census and 2006-2011 American Community Survey. We find that only 1 in 39 patients (2.57%) suffering medical emergencies on public streets receive bystander support -- and Black patients are less than half as likely as White patients to receive help. Patients in mid- and high-density counties and those in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are also less likely to receive bystander support. We conclude by urging greater attention to variation in bystander responses to medical emergencies and how this may contribute to disparities in health outcomes.

Authors

• Erin York Cornwell, Cornell University

• Alex Currit, Cornell University