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The contested meanings of race and ethnicity in medical research: A case study of the DynaMed Point of Care tool

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  • Singh, Sachil
  • Steeves, Valerie

Abstract

Although the use of race and ethnicity for diagnostic purposes remains a controversial practice given the socially contingent meaning of the terms (Bowker and Star, 1999), health researchers continue to report possible relationships between health outcomes and race/ethnicity in the literature. As summaries of these types of studies are incorporated into commercial databases designed to provide medical practitioners with actionable information, there is a risk that the algorithms that drive the databases may unintentionally incorporate racist biases (O’Neil, 2016) in search reports that use race and ethnicity as query terms to identify findings to help in the diagnosis and treatment of particular patients.

Suggested Citation

  • Singh, Sachil & Steeves, Valerie, 2020. "The contested meanings of race and ethnicity in medical research: A case study of the DynaMed Point of Care tool," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620303312
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113112
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ford, Chandra L. & Airhihenbuwa, Collins O., 2010. "The public health critical race methodology: Praxis for antiracism research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(8), pages 1390-1398, October.
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