Racial and ethnic disparities in access to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery for benign pathology

Whitney A Barnes, W.A. Barnes, Charelle M Carter-Brooks, Catherine Z Wu, Danilo Acosta, Danilo A Acosta, Maria V Vargas
Current opinion in obstetrics & gynecology · 2021 · vol. 33(4) , pp. 279–287 · doi:10.1097/gco.0000000000000719 · PMID:34016820 · W3160372657
review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 8 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) women undergo minimally invasive gynecologic surgery for benign conditions less often and experience more complications, with disparities not fully explained by patient or socioeconomic factors.

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Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review current US literature and describe the extent, source, and impact of disparities that exist among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in surgical route and outcomes for hysterectomy, myomectomy, and endometriosis surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the nationwide trend toward minimally invasive surgery (MIS), BIPOC women are disproportionally less likely to undergo MIS hysterectomy and myomectomy and have higher rates of perioperative complications. African American women, in particular, receive significantly disparate care. Contemporary literature on the prevalence of endometriosis in BIPOC women is lacking. Further, there is little data on the racial and ethnic differences in endometriosis surgery access and outcomes. SUMMARY: Racial and ethnic disparities in access to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery for benign pathology exist and these differences are not fully accounted for by patient, socioeconomic, or healthcare infrastructure factors. Initiatives that incentivize hiring surgeons trained to perform complex gynecologic surgery, standardized pathways for route of surgery, quality improvement focused on increased hospital MIS volume, and hospital-based public reporting of MIS volume data may be of benefit for minimizing disparities. Further, initiatives to reduce disparities need to address racism, implicit bias, and healthcare structural issues that perpetuate disparities.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Ethnicity Racial Groups Black or African American Female Healthcare Disparities Humans Hysterectomy Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (69)

Cited by (8)

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