Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity

Examine how systemic racism creates a culture of healthcare disparity and adverse patient safety events.

1. Identification of the issue, context, and affected population.
2. Significance of the issue of systemic racism
3. Analysis of factors related to systemic racism, including affected stakeholders, health system factors, and professional or consumer cultural factors.Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity

Examine how systemic racism creates a culture of healthcare disparity and adverse patient safety events:

1. Identification of the issue, context, and affected population.

Systemic racism refers to the institutional systems in place that create and maintain racial inequality in nearly every health care encounter, as well as other facets of life. First identified by W. E. B. Du Bois in the 1960s, the concept makes it more challenging for specific groups to participate in the economy and society. Across the USA, systematic racism is characteristic by historic and ongoing segregation, exclusion and displacement that began with slavery and continues today by preventing African Americans from obtaining and retaining work and homes, accessing safe housing, and affordable health care. For centuries, systematic racism has contributed to the persistent and stark racial disparities in health and financial wellbeing, especially between Whites and Blacks in the USA (Elias & Feagin, 2016).

The issue of systematic racism in health care is noted among patients of African American origin seeking pain management. It is not uncommon for Black patients with painful medical conditions to be ignored when seeking pain medication simply because of the misconception that Blacks are either drug addicts or drug dealers. Even if there is nothing in a Black patient’s history to indicate pain medication seeking behavior or history of substance abuse, systematic racism is likely to not make a diagnosis and try getting rid of the patient as fast as possible without offering any pain medication. In this respect, the issue of concern and context is pain management with the population being Black patients seeking pain medication (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020).

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2. Significance of the issue of systemic racism

The issue is of concern for two reasons. Firstly, it results in Black patients being ignored so that they continue experiencing unabated pain. Secondly, it results in medical personnel violating the ethical and legal principles by practicing systematic racism. Medical personnel take an oath to treat all patients equally, yet the case shows that Black patients are not treated the same as patients from other ethnicities (Pérez & Luquis, 2014).

3. Analysis of factors related to systemic racism, including affected stakeholders, health system factors, and professional or consumer cultural factors.

There are seven factors related to the systematic racism. The first factor is categorization whereby there is an assumption that the essence of identity for Blacks is drug use and trade. There is a belief that this socially constructed category is natural. The second factor is factions whereby Blacks get used to being discriminated against and expect such behavior from medical personnel. They intuitively expect that others would perceive them as either drug dealers or users. The third factor is segregation that results from racist policies. It is not uncommon for persons of the same racial identity to occupy the same neighborhood and residential areas. The fourth factor is hierarchy whereby Blacks are less perceived as capable and leaders. The fifth factor is power that is brought about by disproportional distribution of status and influence. The sixth factor is media that stereotypically portrays Blacks. The final factor is passivism whereby the society has come to accept and even expect racism to continue (Feder, 2020). Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity

References

Elias, S., & Feagin, J. (2016). Racial Theories in Social Science: A Systemic Racism Critique. Routledge.

Feder, S. (2020, June 9). Stanford psychologist identifies seven factors that contribute to American racism. https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/09/seven-factors-contributing-american-racism/

Pérez, M., & Luquis, R. (2014). Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier, Inc.

Examine how systemic racism creates a culture of healthcare disparity and adverse patient safety events:

1. Identification of the issue, context, and affected population.

The issue of concern is noted among patients of African American origin seeking pain management. It is not uncommon for Black patients with painful medical conditions to be ignored when seeking pain medication simply because of the misconception that Blacks are either drug addicts or drug dealers. Even if there is nothing in a Black patient’s history to indicate pain medication seeking behavior or history of substance abuse, systematic racism is likely to not make a diagnosis and try getting rid of the patient as fast as possible without offering any pain medication. In this respect, the issue of concern and context is pain management with the population being Black patients seeking pain medication (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020).

2. Significance of the issue of systemic racism

The issue is of concern for two reasons. Firstly, it results in Black patients being ignored so that they continue experiencing unabated pain. Secondly, it results in medical personnel violating the ethical and legal principles by practicing systematic racism. Medical personnel take an oath to treat all patients equally, yet the case shows that Black patients are not treated the same as patients from other ethnicities (Pérez & Luquis, 2014).Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity

3. Analysis of factors related to systemic racism, including affected stakeholders, health system factors, and professional or consumer cultural factors.

There are seven factors related to the systematic racism. The first factor is categorization whereby there is an assumption that the essence of identity for Blacks is drug use and trade. There is a belief that this socially constructed category is natural. The second factor is factions whereby Blacks get used to being discriminated against and expect such behavior from medical personnel. They intuitively expect that others would perceive them as either drug dealers or users. The third factor is segregation that results from racist policies. It is not uncommon for persons of the same racial identity to occupy the same neighborhood and residential areas. The fourth factor is hierarchy whereby Blacks are less perceived as capable and leaders. The fifth factor is power that is brought about by disproportional distribution of status and influence. The sixth factor is media that stereotypically portrays Blacks. The final factor is passivism whereby the society has come to accept and even expect racism to continue (Feder, 2020).

References

Feder, S. (2020, June 9). Stanford psychologist identifies seven factors that contribute to American racism. https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/09/seven-factors-contributing-american-racism/

Pérez, M., & Luquis, R. (2014). Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier, Inc.

Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity