Oh, what a shocker—it turns out that the American healthcare system might not be the beacon of equality we all thought it was, especially for the little ones. In a groundbreaking revelation that will surely have everyone’s jaws on the floor, researchers have been diligently noting that—brace yourselves—there are racial and ethnic inequities in paediatric care. And they’ve been at it hard between January 1, 2017, and July 31, 2022, because nothing says “urgent” like a five-and-a-half-year research window.

But don’t worry, they’ve been super thorough. They’ve sifted through the literature, tossing aside any studies that might be tainted by the pesky interference of patient preferences or the appropriateness of intervention. What’s left is a pristine collection of evidence that points to minoritised kiddos getting the short end of the stethoscope across a veritable smorgasbord of specialties. We’re talking the whole nine yards—from neonatology to palliative care.

And the reasons for these disparities? Well, they’re as varied as the colors in a box of crayons that the kids aren’t getting equal access to. Implicit biases, differences in care sites, clinician characteristics—you name it, it’s probably contributing to the problem. But fear not, the researchers have a plan! They’re going to outline priorities for future research because, clearly, what we need is more research. It’s not like the existing pile of studies is telling us enough already.

Stay tuned for the sequel, where policy changes will be discussed with the same fervor as a cliffhanger season finale. Because if there’s one thing that can fix deep-rooted systemic issues, it’s definitely a well-worded policy document. Here’s to hoping that by the time these kids are old enough to read the research about their own healthcare, they’ll be doing so in a world that’s actually done something about it.