Background: 

Although there have been calls for the routine reporting of patient demographics associated with health disparities, including race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES), in published research, the extent to which these variables are reported in orthopaedic journals remains unclear.

Methods: 

We identified and examined all research articles with human cohorts published in 2019 in the 2 highest-ranked U.S. general orthopaedics journals, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. Excluded from analysis were studies with no U.S.-based institution and those that did not report any demographic data. Articles were reviewed to determine study type; reporting of race, ethnicity, and any of 3 SES variables (i.e., income, education, and health-care insurance); and the inclusion of these demographics in multivariable analyses.

Results: 

A total of 156 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 56 (35.9%) reported patient race and 24 (15.4%) reported patient ethnicity. Income was reported in 13 (8.3%) of the articles, education in 23 (14.7%), and health insurance in 18 (11.5%). Of the 97 papers that reported results of multivariable analyses, 30 (30.9%) included race in the analysis and 21 (21.6%) reported significance associated with race. Income, education, and health insurance were included in multivariable analyses in 7 (7.2%), 11 (11.3%), and 10 (10.3%) of the articles, respectively.

Conclusions: 

Race, ethnicity, and SES were infrequently reported and analyzed within articles published in 2 of the top orthopaedic journals. This problem may be remedied if orthopaedic journals impose standards for the reporting and analysis of patient demographics in studies with human cohorts.

Clinical Relevance: 

Failure to report key demographics makes it difficult for practitioners to determine whether study results apply to their patient populations. In addition, when orthopaedic interventions are evaluated without accounting for potential disparities by demographics, clinicians may incorrectly assume that the overall benefits and risks reported in studies apply equally to all patients.

中文翻译：

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在顶级骨科期刊上发表的研究中，种族、民族和社会经济地位的报告率低

背景： 

尽管在已发表的研究中一直呼吁定期报告与健康差异相关的患者人口统计数据，包括种族、民族和社会经济地位 (SES)，但这些变量在骨科期刊中的报道程度仍不清楚。

方法： 

我们确定并检查了 2019 年在美国排名最高的 2 种普通骨科期刊、Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research和The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery上发表的所有具有人类队列的研究文章。分析中排除了没有美国机构的研究以及没有报告任何人口统计数据的研究。审查文章以确定研究类型；报告种族、民族和 3 个 SES 变量中的任何一个（即收入、教育和医疗保险）；并将这些人口统计数据纳入多变量分析。

结果： 

共有156篇文章符合纳入标准。其中，56 人（35.9%）报告了患者种族，24 人（15.4%）报告了患者种族。13 篇文章（8.3%）报告了收入，23 篇文章报告了教育（14.7%），18 篇文章报告了健康保险（11.5%）。在报告多变量分析结果的 97 篇论文中，30 篇（30.9%）将种族纳入分析，21 篇（21.6%）报告了与种族相关的重要性。收入、教育和健康保险分别在 7 篇（7.2%）、11 篇（11.3%）和 10 篇（10.3%）的文章中纳入多变量分析。

结论： 

种族、民族和 SES 很少在 2 种顶级骨科期刊上发表的文章中得到报道和分析。如果骨科期刊在人类队列研究中对患者人口统计数据的报告和分析制定标准，这个问题可能会得到解决。

临床相关性： 

未能报告关键人口统计数据使从业者难以确定研究结果是否适用于他们的患者群体。此外，如果在评估骨科干预措施时未考虑人口统计学的潜在差异，临床医生可能会错误地假设研究中报告的总体益处和风险同样适用于所有患者。