An article published on CaliforniaHealthline on March 9, 2023 entitled Black Patients Dress Up and Modify Speech to Reduce Bias, California Survey Shows, highlights inequity in health care. This article highlights personal stories about the experiences of those experiencing racial bias in health care. It starts with the following stories:
“A young mother in California’s Antelope Valley bathes her children and dresses them in neat clothes, making sure they look their very best — at medical appointments. “I brush their teeth before they see the dentist. Just little things like that to protect myself from being treated unfairly,” she told researchers.
A 72-year-old in Los Angeles, mindful that he is a Black man, tries to put providers at ease around him. “My actions will probably be looked at and applied to the whole race, especially if my actions are negative,” he said. “And especially if they are perceived as aggressive.”
The article points to research revealing the many types of activities that patients undergo in order to manage the racial bias they are faced with. “Many Black Californians report adjusting their appearance or behavior — even minimizing questions — all to reduce the chances of discrimination and bias in hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices. Of the strategies they describe taking, 32% pay special attention to how they dress; 35% modify their speech or behavior to put doctors at ease. And 41% of Black patients signal to providers that they are educated, knowledgeable, and prepared.”
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