Venous Health Inequities: Disparities, Access, And Research Equity
Documented Disparities In Venous Thromboembolism
Black veterans had significantly higher VTE rates than white veterans, driven partly by non-O blood group and lower hemoglobin rather than neighborhood deprivation. National inpatient data showed Black patients and lower-income patients bore a disproportionate share of pandemic-era pulmonary embolism and DVT, and pre-pandemic data confirmed similar racial and regional gaps. Women’s participation at AVF meetings has grown, but leadership and senior authorship roles still lag.
Reaching Underserved Patients
A framework for identifying vulnerable populations extends beyond race to physical, psychological, and cultural barriers to care. A rural critical access hospital model shows how a part-time vascular clinic can extend venous care, workups, and post-procedure follow-up to remote, high-poverty communities.
Provider Education And Research Equity
Referring physicians often lack venous training, fueling patient misinformation; targeted CME, relationship-building, and curriculum changes are proposed fixes. For clinical research, transparent consent conversations led by senior clinicians, interpreter use, and deliberately recruiting toward a community’s demographics were shown to rebuild trust and improve diverse trial participation.
