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Report shows minorities receive lower quality health care - Brief Article

A new report shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality health care compared to Caucasians, according to a March 20, 2002, news release from the National Academies. This occurs even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. Minority death rates from heart disease, cancer, and HIV are higher because of the unequal treatment.

According to the release, a large body of research details this health care disparity, and it is important to develop strategies to deal with it. Committee members who wrote the report recommend raising awareness among the general public, health care providers, insurance companies, and policy makers. Committee members also advocate that providers and health plans use evidence-based guidelines when making decisions about treatment.

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Possible reasons for racial and ethnic differences in health care are varied. Physicians may harbor prejudice and may stereotype certain individuals. Although it is reasonable to assume, according to the release, that the majority of health care providers find prejudice morally abhorrent, studies show that providers unconsciously may demonstrate negative racial attitudes. Time pressures in clinical situations also may increase stereotyping.

Minorities enrolled in health care plans often are enrolled in lower-end plans, which are characterized by fewer resources per patient. The disproportionate number of minorities enrolled in these plans also may lead to disparities in health care. Those minorities who are insured at the same level as Caucasians, however, are less likely to have a consistent relationship with their physician compared to their Caucasian counterparts. This may be because of the lower number of physicians in minority communities.

More minority health care providers are needed, according to the release, because they likely will serve in minority communities. The committee also calls for more interpreters to help overcome language barriers and cultural training for current and future health care professionals. They say patient education programs should be expanded to help health care consumers increase their knowledge of how to best access care, ask the right questions, and participate in treatment decisions.

Minorities More Likely to Receive Lower-Quality Health Care, Regardless of Income and Insurance Coverage (news release, Washington, DC: The National Academies, March 20, 2002) http://www.4nationalacademies.org (accessed 9 April 2002).

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Report shows minorities receive lower quality health care - Brief Article

AORN Journal, June, 2002

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