I recently read a piece called "Unequal Treatment: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know About Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare," where the authors speak about factors affecting the lower quality of healthcare of minorities compared to whites. The most interesting portion of the piece is when they spoke about how doctors tend to express that prejudice is "morally abhorrent and at odds with their professional values." However, there is evidence to support that, in general, white Americans believe minorities "are less intelligent, more prone to violence, and prefer to live off welfare." Although this evidence is based on the general population, doctors are not excluded. The difference is doctors might not be that aware of their underlying prejudices. As a result, they might be basing their diagnoses on prior experiences with minorities which allows for indirect prejudice towards these people. It might seem from the outside like an awful practice, but almost everyone does it.
The solutions proposed were to educate doctors on a finding a balance through cross-cultural education. I do not believe it is that simple. In order to remove prejudice and racism from healthcare, these two factors need to be removed from society. Cross-cultural education is only helpful for those who do not have ingrained beliefs about how certain people are. Otherwise, this information will go in one ear and out the other. Doctors are told to follow certain trends and apply it to their practice, but they must remain culturally sensitive at the same time. It is not an easy task to find this balance, and this disparity in healthcare between whites and minorities will not be eliminated until society takes a turn away from prejudices and racism.
Personally, I have only had one experience where a doctor belittled me, but I am not sure if it was because I was Hispanic or because he just felt I should not be making decisions concerning my teeth. This occurred when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. The surgeon wanted to pull all four out, but once two were removed, I felt it was not necessary to remove the other two. I proceeded to tell him to stop. He looked at me, then glanced at my mother and asked, "Are you really going to let her make the decision?" It was as if she were the one getting her teeth pulled, not me. I understand that minors are under the complete control of their parents, but still, it is my mouth, and I was the one who would have been dealing with the pain. As it is, I now live comfortably with my top two wisdom teeth still intact. This was the only event when I felt a doctor was undermining my opinion. However, I have no idea whether or not it was because of my ethnicity or not.
Although I personally have never experienced a lower quality of healthcare because I am a minority, I am extremely positive that it happens all the time. We are a long way from actually eliminating disparities in health care, and I would not be surprised if we never get to that point at all.
