Can non-medical factors contribute to disparities in coronary heart disease treatments?

Racial/ethnic and sex disparities in coronary heart disease treatment exist. We previously reported that physicians perceive non-clinical variables, such as a patient's desire for a second opinion, as affecting revascularization decisions. The results of that study are further examined here, using factor analysis to identify significant interrelationships among the non-clinical variables, which could contribute to disparities in coronary revascularization (i.

Awareness of heart attack symptoms and lifesaving actions among New York City area residents.

The American Heart Association has a national network of community-based programs designed to reduce response times to cardiac emergencies by improving access to automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) among laypersons. Success of these Operation Heartbeat programs depends in part on the public's knowledge of the warning signs of a myocardial infarction (MI) and appropriate response to cardiac arrest victims. In May 2000, a 7-minute telephone survey was administered to a random sample of adults residing within the American Heart Association affiliate territories of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to determine the knowledge of MI symptoms, confidence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) use, and the awareness of AEDs.