Assignment Question
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this paper is to present the problems associated with Discrimination in Healthcare (Healthcare stressor) to the leadership team in my healthcare institution. It will also address the impact this healthcare stressor has at my workplace. This paper will seek the assistance of my hospital leadership to help prevent any further healthcare discrimination.
Introduction
In the Healthcare industry, discrimination contributes to several adverse health outcomes. Discrimination can be on both the patients seeking healthcare or on the staff member. For this paper's purpose, most of the discussion will focus on discrimination against patients seeking healthcare in the healthcare institution. Discrimination against patients may be in the form of racial stratification, financial segregation, social or ethnic origin. When a patient is discriminated against, he/she may prefer not to seek healthcare. This might lead to worsening the health condition of such patients. The patient may discontinue seeking healthcare or go to poorly trained providers. A case of missed medical appointments, stopping healthcare promotion has also been documented.
Description of Discrimination in Healthcare
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (2020), discrimination occurs when an individual is treated more favorably than others due to ethnic background, skin color, sex, and other personal attributes. Several healthcare delivery organizations in the United States are taking significant steps to modify their health delivery systems. This maximizes patient satisfaction and remains relevant in the healthcare industry (Pittman & Scully, 2016).
According to BMC Public Health (2020), Individuals from socially disadvantaged minorities experience discrimination based on ethnic background, race, immigration status, gender, or religion
Several studies have shown that the healthcare system in the United States is increasingly becoming dynamic. Individuals from all over the globe work in the healthcare system and seek care in the healthcare system. This obviously brings lots of dynamics on board in terms of cultures, skin color, race, social and spiritual orientation. Discrimination among individuals becomes very obvious if measures are not put in place to prevent such. Organizations must work hard to avoid any form of discrimination against anybody in healthcare industries. Necessary steps must be put in place to prevent any kind of discrimination in the healthcare industry.
Research evidence has shown that better communication between the patient and the health care provider results in better patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, and improved health. When poor communication exists between patients and providers due to discrimination, there is usually poor patient satisfaction and frustration. Several kinds of literature have documented race and socioeconomic status as significant causes of ill health among less privileged populations. Health care organizations are very likely to give preferences to white populations and deny many privileges to other populations. This will lead to poor health outcomes among the disadvantaged population.
Summary of Reviewed Articles
D'Anna et al. (2018) conducted a study on social discrimination and health care among low-income ethnic groups. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews over five months. Individual and focus group interviews were also conducted as well as audio records. Demographic data was collected which differentiated respondents based on racial affiliation, gender, and socioeconomic status
The study showed that discrimination among these low-income ethnic groups has persisted for a long time. Discrimination has led to poor health outcomes among these minority groups. According to the study, social discrimination is differentiating treatment based on race, ethnicity, and income status. The study revealed that discrimination among these minority groups had caused poor compliance to medications, poor health indices, physical stress, and discontinuation of health-seeking behaviors.
Benjamins & Middleton (2019) conducted a population-based study in Chicago. This study was aimed to determine the relationship between discrimination and the quality of care received in clinical settings. Data was obtained from Sinai Community Health Survey. Trained interviewers collected the data from the University of Illinois at Chicago for over ten years. Respondents are from communities in several geographical locations. Discrimination in health care settings, socioeconomic characteristics were evaluated in the study. Results showed that health institutions provide more support to individuals who have experienced discrimination in the past to prevent future stigma. Measures to prevent any further discrimination among healthcare providers are put in place. The study noted that training is provided by healthcare institutions on cultural diversity, socioeconomic status, race, and gender to enhance personalized care.
Strategies to reduce Discrimination in Healthcare
According to D'Anna et al. (2018), patient empowerment is essential to prevent discrimination in the healthcare industry. Patients should be encouraged to voice their opinions to appropriate authorities if they perceive any form of discrimination. Patients should be encouraged to ask questions and participate actively in their care. Healthcare providers should be educated on the need to understand cultural diversity and treat everyone equally irrespective of race, ethnic group, religion, sexual orientation, and social background. Healthcare providers should also provide adequate information to patients to enable them to take control of their health.
According to Benjamins & Middleton (2019), healthcare organizations should work hard to understand and identify specific areas where discrimination occurs. Such areas should then be addressed holistically. Continuous re-evaluation should be done to enhance patient experience and maximize patient satisfaction.
References
Australian Human Rights Commission (2020). Discrimination. Retrieved September 10th, 2020
From https://humanrights.gov.au/quick-guide/12030
Benjamins, M. R., & Middleton, M. (2019). Perceived discrimination in medical settings and perceived quality of care: A population-based study in Chicago. PLOS ONE, 14(4), e0215976. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215976
BMC Public Health (2020). Discrimination in healthcare as a barrier to care: experiences of
socially disadvantaged populations in France from a nationally representative survey.
Retrieved September 12th, 2020 From
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-8124-z#Sec10
D’Anna, L. H., Hansen, M., Mull, B., Canjura, C., Lee, E., &Sumstine, S. (2018). Social discrimination and health care: A multidimensional framework of experiences among a low-income multiethnic sample. Social Work in Public Health, 33(3), 187-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2018.1434584
Pittman P. & Scully E. (2016). Workforce planning and development in times of delivery system
Transformation. Journal of Human Resources for Health (2016) 14:56 DOI 10.1186/s12960-016-0154-3