From birth until death: how the ethnicity pain gap follows people through life

Patients from minority ethnic backgrounds often have to demonstrate higher levels of pain, only to receive less effective treatment

• ‘The epidural failed and no one believed me’

• Women from minority backgrounds less likely to receive epidurals, study finds

A growing body of global research has shown that patients from minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely to have their pain recognised, believed and adequately treated – with disparities experienced from childhood all the way through to end-of-life care.

Evidence suggests these disparities persist across multiple healthcare settings, including emergency care, maternity services, and cancer treatment. Study after study from different countries has found that patients from minority ethnic backgrounds are frequently required to demonstrate higher levels of pain before receiving treatment, and are often given less effective treatment even when their pain is acknowledged.