Background
The Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have reopened discussions surrounding the use of race in medical guidelines. This narrative review aimed to better understand the role of race in medicine and understand the reasoning behind the use of race in medical guidelines. Two case studies: hypertension and kidney function were used to understand this.
Methods
A narrative review was conducted in which a search of many databases was done.
Results
The findings from the narrative can be summarised into three key findings:
1. The history behind the use of the term race has been one fraught with archaic categorisation this was shown through the eugenics movement and the existence of a racial hierarchy. Genetics research has shown that race is a social construct and not rooted in biology.
2. Hypertension guidelines suggest that Black people should be offered a different hypertensive medication due to research finding that Black people respond differently to different medications, however, this research has been criticised.
3. Kidney function calculations have removed race from its equations due to: new evidence supporting not using race, the removal of race ensuring that Black people have equitable access to treatment and the fact that race was recognized as a social construct.
Conclusion
To conclude, the evidence overwhelmingly supports not using race in medical guidelines in the UK as it allows for more equitable treatment for Black people.
Keywords: Race, Medicine, Medical guidelines, Black, Hypertension, Kidney function