Disparities among minorities in the healthcare system have persisted for decades as the impacts of systemic racism can be a matter of life or death. Black people feel the weight of these disparities when pursuing healthcare, especially since the COVID-19 era has illuminated the differences in healthcare among Black and white patients.
According to a 2020 study, as a result of race and ethnicity, the health barriers faced by Black Americans are determined by the lack of access to resources that serve as health protectants. Factors like health insurance, consistent health care, education, diet, lifestyle, and healthy air quality directly impact minorities at greater levers due to social and economic disparities that prevail in society.
For many, the reality of these disparities presents itself firsthand when they’re in the need of healthcare. The experiences of Black patients, as always, has been a different one from their white peers. Historically, medical physicians believed Black people were suspected to have a higher pain tolerance than white people, this myth and mindset has long haunted the modern-day exchanges between patients and physicians.
Numerous treatment disparities occur as a result of the lack of trust some physicians have had in their Black patients. Studies have shown that in circumstances where a patient’s pain is unidentifiable or cannot be explained by an evident reaction to the pain, heath care providers are more likely to depend on their own discernment when assessing sick patients. As a result, biases persist in doctor, patient exchanges and the negative convictions in minority communities.
Despite these disparities, it is necessary for Black patients to be assertive and knowledgeable of their rights when communicating and finding the best options for their health.
For more information on those rights, visit https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html
