December 10th 2023.
A new survey conducted by KFF has revealed that African Americans expect to have racist encounters while visiting their doctor. The 2023 Racism, Discrimination, and Health Survey gathered the responses of almost 6,300 adult participants and revealed that patients of color were more likely to experience unfair treatment or disrespect from their doctor or medical staff.
Samantha Artiga, KFF’s director of Racial Equity and Health Policy, stated that this could include a provider not listening to them, not answering questions, or not prescribing the pain medication they believed they needed. The survey found that 1 in 5 of the Black surveyors reported having a racist interaction within the past three years, and 60% of Black adults said they prepare for possible insults from the medical staff.
Unsurprisingly, due to the expectation of racism, Black patients tend to uphold a certain standard of appearance when visiting the doctor. The survey also noted that having diverse medical providers can help combat this issue, as surveyors with doctors of the same racial background reported more positive experiences at their appointments.
However, representation in the medical field is still an ongoing problem that predominantly affects patients of color. The survey suggested that increasing the number of providers of color, as well as providing resources and initiatives to combat bias in health care, is essential for Black patients to receive the proper medical care.
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