New research from Montefiore Health System challenges the long-standing "Hispanic paradox," suggesting that economic barriers, rather than inherent health advantages, may be driving better post-surgery outcomes for Hispanic/Latino patients.
While many Hispanic/Latino patients face socioeconomic challenges known to adversely affect health, they usually tend to live longer and have better outcomes than other racial or ethnic groups — a phenomenon known as the Hispanic paradox.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on 42,832 Hispanic/Latino patients who underwent surgery at New York City-based Montefiore between 2016 and 2021. Only 9.7% of these patients had an adverse discharge to a nursing home after their inpatient stay — a figure lower than those of surgical patients among other racial and ethnic groups, indicating a Hispanic paradox.
However, researchers found a correlation between Hispanic/Latino patients' socioeconomic status and likelihood of adverse postoperative discharge.
"Traditional thinking suggests lower vulnerability among these patients, but the reality may be that Hispanic/Latino patients who go straight home have fewer financial resources to enable them to seek continued care," Montefiore said in a March 5 news release.
The findings highlight the importance of assessing patients' socioeconomic status in the paradox and working to address post-acute care barriers for surgical patients of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
The study was published March 5 in Anesthesia & Analgesia.