Healthcare Disparities in Laryngology: A Scoping Review

Objectives/Hypothesis This scoping review aims to map out existing disparities research within the subspecialty of laryngology in order to highlight gaps in knowledge and guide future research. Study Design Scoping Review. Methods We completed a scoping review of PubMed, Ovid Embase, and the Cochrane Library for primary research focused on evaluating the existence and impact of disparities in race/ethnicity, sex/gender, insurance status, education level, income, geography, and LGBTQ identity in the context of various laryngological conditions. Publications of any design and date, performed in the United States, and focusing on the adult population exclusively were included. Results Of the 4,999 unique abstracts identified, 51 articles were ultimately included. The most frequently examined condition in relation to disparities was laryngeal cancer (27 of 51), followed by voice disorders (15 of 51), deglutitive disorders (eight of 51), and airway disorders (one of 51). Sources of inequity evaluated from most common to least common were race/ethnicity (43 of 51), sex/gender (39 of 51), insurance status (23 of 51), geography (23 of 51), income (21 of 51), and education level (16 of 51). No study examined the association of LGBTQ identity with inequity. Conclusions This scoping review highlights the limited extent of disparities research in laryngology and establishes the need for further scholarship on the impact of disparities in laryngology care. The pathologies studied were, in decreasing order of frequency: laryngeal cancer, voice disorders, deglutitive disorders, and airway disorders. Race/ethnicity and sex/gender were the most common disparities examined, with no evaluation of LGBTQ-related care inequity. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2020

Automated summary

This scoping review examines the existing disparities research in the field of laryngology and highlights the limited extent of such research. The study focuses on conditions such as laryngeal cancer, voice disorders, deglutitive disorders, and airway disorders, and identifies race/ethnicity and sex/gender as the most commonly examined disparities. However, no research has been conducted on LGBTQ-related care inequity.