Health Disparity in Latino Population

Introduction

Journal critique is an integral part of learning and professional practice not only in the
healthcare realm but also in other disciplines like engineering, business, and law. Typically, the
aim a journal critique is to demonstrate whether or not the facts and arguments presented by a
researcher(s) are authentic, valid, and reasonable enough to support their main viewpoints.
Identifying authenticity and validity of research findings is necessary to establish whether they
can be extrapolated and applied to the general population. As a complete and careful
examination of a peer-reviewed study, journal article critiques judge the weaknesses, strengths,
logical links, significance, and meaning of the information presented in studies. Therefore,
writers of journal critiques are expected to search for scientific articles in databases and subject
them to critical analyses and discussions based on their viewpoints, albeit following a set of
conventional guidelines.
This paper critiques and reviews healthcare disparities among Latino communities as
expressed by Caraballo et al. (2022) in their article “Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in
Barriers to Timely Medical Among Adults in the US, 1999 to 2018” published in the JAMA
Health Forum journal. The critique examines what was done correctly and wrong, with possible
explanations supported by evidence, and what ought to have been done right to make the article
better. The specific areas of focus are the authenticity of the authors and the journal publisher,
how well the introduction descries the purpose and lays the foundation, relevance of the
literature review, the selection of the methodology, presentation and discussion of research
findings, conclusion, and references. It also provides a recommendation for future researchers
wishing to take the same route to explore health inequities affecting Latinos or other racial
groups.

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Critique

One of the most striking aspects of this research is its title: Trends in Racial and Ethnic
Disparities in Barriers to Timely Medical Care Among Adults in the US, 1999 to 2018. Besides
being eye-catching, the title automatically allows the reader to have an immediate idea of the
study’s context: healthcare disparities based on race. It is also noticeable that the seven
individuals that have authored the article have the moral authority to speak on the subject
because they are distinguished researchers, scholars, and professionals occupying respectable
positions in colleges and other healthcare professions. For example, co-author Carley Riley (MD,
MPP, MHS, FAAP) is the Faculty Co-Lead of population and community health at Cincinnati
Children’s Hospital. Being published in the JAMA Health Forum also adds more points to the
article’s authenticity and validity. JAMA Health Forum is an online, peer-reviewed, open access,
international journal that addresses health issues, policies, and strategies impacting healthcare,
health, and medicine.
The article’s introduction is also spot on; it highlights the study’s background, problem,
and purpose. For example, in the first paragraph, the authors state that ethnic and racial inequities
in access to healthcare is pervasive in the US, despite countrywide efforts to address them. For
instance, in comparison to whites, Latinos and African Americans have persistently lacked health
insurance coverage plus cost-related unmet clinical needs between 1999 and 2018. The authors
further reveal that Latinos, Blacks, and low-income Americans have a higher risk of
experiencing barriers to timely clinical care not directly connected to cost of care, including lack
of transportation, inconvenient office hours, and long waiting periods at the doctor’s office.
Although the problem statement, purpose, and background are clearly stated, the article does not
state the “research question” of the “hypothesis” it seeks to answer.

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Conclusion

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References

Caraballo, C., Ndumele, C. D., Roy, B., Lu, Y., Riley C., Herrin, J., & Krumholtz, H. M. (2022).
Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in barriers to timely medical among adults in the
US, 1999 to 2018. JAMA Health Forum, 3(10), e223856.
doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.3856