Race, Gender, and Survival: Disparities in ICU Post-Resuscitation Care and Neurological Outcomes Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Author

Tiffany L. Goree, University of Central FloridaFollow

Keywords

OHCA; post-cardiac arrest; ICU care; racial disparities; Black women; neurological outcomes

Abstract

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare are well-documented, yet the intersection of race, gender, and critical care remains underexplored. This study focuses on disparities in intensive care unit (ICU) treatment and outcomes for Black women, particularly in cases involving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), neurocritical care, and post-cardiac arrest treatment. Black women often face systemic barriers that influence the quality and timeliness of life-saving care, contributing to poorer outcomes.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted to examine peer-reviewed literature from the past decade using databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and ScienceDirect. Studies were selected based on their focus on ICU-level care and outcomes related to race, ethnicity, and gender within the United States. Articles were reviewed and synthesized to identify patterns in disparities in the chain of survival, clinical decision-making, ICU treatment, and outcome disparities.

Results: The review revealed consistent disparities in ICU treatment for Black women. These included less bystander CPR, delayed access to neurocritical interventions, lower rates of life-sustaining treatments, early DNR and WLST and poorer neurological outcomes. Contributing factors included implicit bias and broader systematic and socioeconomic inequities. The lack of disaggregated data by both race and gender was also a notable gap in the existing literature.

Conclusions: This study highlights the crucial need to address intersecting disparities in ICU care, particularly for women of color. By centering Black women in the analysis of, this research fills a gap in the literature and offers evidence to support more equitable and culturally responsive critical care practices. Findings may inform policy reforms, improve provider education, and contribute to reducing disparities in high-stakes medical settings and Black communities.

Keywords: racial disparities, ethnic disparities, ICU care, Black women, post-cardiac arrest, health equity, critical care outcomes, neurological outcomes, gender and race, OHCA, Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Thesis Completion Year

2025

Thesis Completion Semester

Summer

Thesis Chair

Wang, Xiaochuan

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Social Work

Thesis Discipline

Social Work

Language

English

Access Status

Campus Access

Length of Campus Access

5 years

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Notes

I was advised to leave a note for the librarian that the title punctuation of the .pdf file cannot be saved in same format as the thesis title, as the colon (:) is an invalid character when saving documents.

STARS Citation

Goree, Tiffany L., "Race, Gender, and Survival: Disparities in ICU Post-Resuscitation Care and Neurological Outcomes Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 396.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/396