Did you know that in 2014, black males and females had a lower average life expectancy than white males and females? It is no secret that racism has occurred throughout the lives of many minorities still today. Racism has effects on many aspects of an individual's life; however, the continuous trend and tragedy of racism can majorly affect the healthcare system and how others are given treatment and help. Throughout the years, there are many stories of people describing their experiences dealing with racism within the healthcare system. These experiences can vary from improper diagnosis or treatments, language barriers, lack of respect, and etc. These unfortunate events can further cause antagonism between everyone in a field/system where individuals are supposed to be receiving help and treated equally. Racism is one of the major concerns and issues in the healthcare system.

To begin with, language barriers are very prominent when it comes to daily interaction with patients. If a medical expert was to encounter an obstacle of a language barrier, it is important for health workers to treat the patient fairly and with respect despite the challenge. The following are examples of patients’ bad experiences while receiving treatment due to the language barrier… 

“When they see he can't explain himself, they look at him as if [they are] belittling him. They treat him with a lot of inferiority… the doctor, nurses, receptionists. You can tell when the person is not liked by the doctors or the staff. I have seen a lot of discrimination in that manner. 

- (Hispanic participant)”

“Five years ago my son got double pneumonia. The doctors wanted to operate [on] him… They called my husband and he said he had to talk with the specialist who was treating my son to see what he had to say about the surgery. We called… and the specialist said my son would not be able to resist that type of surgery. My husband called the hospital and told me not to sign any papers. I didn't speak English. I didn't know anything. They put the paper in front of me to sign. They insisted I sign the paper. My husband told me not to sign anything and [that] he was on his way [to pick us up]. In the end, my son didn't have the surgery and he didn't die like they said he would. Three days after they said he needed the surgery he got better. The surgery was not necessary. - (Hispanic participant)”

The examples provided show evidence that those who don’t speak proper English or lack the English language are usually rejected, taken advantage of, or are discriminated against. Discrimination against those who don’t speak English well is very saddening. If a patient isn’t able to speak the language very well, health workers need to be more empathetic and try to understand the patient respectfully, without denying the patient treatment. Also, health workers should never take advantage of a patient despite any circumstances; as a health worker, your job is to assist and treat the patient not to scam or belittle them. 

Secondly, racism in the health system can usually lead to events where an individuals’ medical treatment was compromised due to discriminatory acts and attitudes. Improper diagnostic and treatments can lead to many short-term and long-term complications. In these racist acts, minority patients aren’t taken as seriously as white people. An example of this is the point of view of an African-American physician regarding the diagnosis of minorities in psychiatry… 

“Of course, in psychiatry, we see this [discrimination]. One area we see is in terms of diagnosis. Patients are inappropriately diagnosed and medications prescribed for the patients. We see errors in that. Minority patients will often be diagnosed inappropriately as being schizophrenic. - (African American physician)”

This example portrays how minorities are improperly diagnosed and how they are diagnosed with a specific illness. For this discriminatory act, patients shouldn’t be diagnosed due to their race, skin color, and etc. This wrongful diagnosis can lead to many complications for the patient's health/lifestyle.

Finally, in the health field, it is important to maintain a good and respectful attitude to the patients. If a medical worker is a racist, there may be no doubt that the worker may not be as respectful to POC (people of color). The lack of respect for patients is really unprofessional especially in the specific field that an individual is working in. An example of medical workers showing a lack of respect for their patients is the experience of an African-American patient after her service from receiving care… 

“I felt that because of my race that I wasn't serviced as well as a Caucasian person was. The attitude that you would get. Information wasn't given to me as it would have [been given to] a Caucasian. The attitude made me feel like I was less important. I could come to the desk and they would be real nonchalant and someone of Caucasian color would come behind me and they'd be like, “Hi, how was your day?” - (African American participant)”

In the example provided, the patient felt degraded as an African-American individual, POC. The lack of respect towards patients can make them feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. Patients are able to sense that their medical providers or staff don't want to take their time to assist them, answer medical questions, or explain treatment properly. Patients shouldn’t feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in a place where they are letting strangers provide treatment for them.

To conclude, racism is one of the major concerns and issues in the healthcare system. Examples of racism that occur in the health system are language barriers, improper diagnosis or treatments, and the lack of respect towards patients. This serious issue that should be addressed in the health field. The act of racism and discrimination can demolish the whole purpose of proper healthcare. As a 15-year-old in high school, there is only so much that I can do to help this issue; however, to start my journey in improving the healthcare system, I can practice and teach others to protect and have a better grasp of their humanity. I think the biggest solution to this issue is to be empathetic and compassionate towards others. Those who are hateful and unkind to others can start this type of discrepancy and make the world an ugly place. Racism isn’t only a predicament in the healthcare system, but a general issue that transpires throughout the nation.

Bibliography

Grady, Meredith, and Tim Edgar. “Racial Disparities in Health Care: Highlights From Focus Group Findings.” Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220347/  

Rees, Mathieu. “Racism in Healthcare: Statistics and Examples.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 16 Sept. 2020, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/racism-in-healthcare.  

Tello, Monique. “Racism and Discrimination in Health Care: Providers and Patients.” Harvard Health Blog, 9 July 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/racism-discrimination-health-care-providers-patients-2017011611015