Pharmacist's role in reducing medication-related racial disparities in African American patients with chronic kidney disease

Racial/ethnic disparities in chronic kidney disease have been well established. African Americans experience faster progression to end-stage kidney disease and a higher prevalence of kidney-related diseases due to social determinants of health and systemic racism. As the most accessible health care professionals, pharmacists have a responsibility to diminish racial health disparities by putting efforts into leading diversity initiatives, committees, task forces, and community outreach events. To effectively engage African American communities, pharmacists must first understand the historical context of distrust in health care, kidney-related health and medication-related disparities experienced by African Americans, and how socioeconomic deprivation impacts the progression of kidney disease. In this article, we review available literature pertaining to these topics and give suggestions on what pharmacists can do to help reduce health care disparities in African Americans with kidney disease and to build trust with individuals and their communities to improve their health care outcomes.