Nearly 76 percent of U.S. adults who reported feeling treated or judged unfairly in a healthcare setting within the 12 months prior to being surveyed said it caused care disruptions, according to findings from the Urban Institute published Aug. 9.
Researchers used data from the Urban Institute's December 2020 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey to conduct the analysis. The nationally representative survey included more than 7,500 adults aged 18 to 64. Overall, 3.2 percent of respondents reported feeling treated or judged unfairly because of their race or ethnicity in a healthcare setting in the past 12 months. Black and Hispanic adults were more likely to report experiencing discrimination within healthcare settings than their white counterparts, the findings showed.
Of those who said they were treated or judged unfairly by their healthcare provider, 75.9 percent said it disrupted their receipt of healthcare; 39 percent said they delayed care as a result, nearly 35 percent looked for a new provider and 11.4 percent said they didn't follow the provider's recommendations.
At the same time, more than one-third of those who reported unfair treatment said they took action to address the treatment or judgement, including 19.2 percent who reported speaking to their provider about the treatment, nearly 17 percent who filed a complaint and 9.4 percent who took other action.
"Our findings show patients who feel treated or judged unfairly because of their race or ethnicity when seeking healthcare face consequences that can directly harm their health," researchers said. "Several strategies can help providers improve their behavior and attitude toward patients to mitigate these negative consequences, including expanding provider education and training about racism and bias, encouraging culturally competent and effective care, and diversifying the healthcare workforce."