Emi Tuyetnhi Tran is an intern for NBC News Digital.
A recent study found that Latino patients who have been hospitalized with respiratory illnesses are five times as likely to be oversedated than their non-Latino white counterparts. The survey — conducted by researchers of New York University and the University of Michigan — examined patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, across 48 different hospitals across the United States.
For example, the researchers stated, doctors may make different assessments of the level of delirium or agitation of a non-English-speaking patient compared to an English-speaking patient. The study also found that Latino patients are more likely to go to or be admitted to hospitals that utilize sedation more frequently.