A study conducted at the School of Public Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia found that bias and fear of Black men by health care professionals tended to lead to lower quality of care for African American men.
Researchers interviewed physicians, nurses, and medical students at two urban university hospitals. They found that many health care providers had personal experiences that had produced biases and stereotypes relating to Black men. This led, in some cases, to fear or discomfort when treating Black male patients.
Jennifer Taylor, associate professor of public health at Drexel University, and a co-author of the study said that ‘whether explicit or implicit, our racial biases can direct patients to different and unequal treatments. Participants in this study told us they had little useful training on how to deal with their own implicit bias that may affect the quality and safety of the patient care they give.”
The study, “Healthcare Providers’ Formative Experiences With Race and Black Male Patientss in Urban Hospital Environments,” was published on the website of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. It may be accessed here.
