Study: Racism, Perceptions About Public Insurance Coverage Hindering Quality of Medical Care

Studies have shown that children and adolescents are affected by bias, discrimination, and racism in health care, which has inspired efforts at hospitals across the country to improve health equity. A study, “Understanding Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Differences in the Ambulatory Care Experience,” in the December 2022 Pediatrics (published online Nov. 7) interviewed families at a children’s hospital and found reports of discrimination and disrespect in hospital interactions. Researchers interviewed 80 parents of children from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to understand the different experiences families were having at three clinics and found that there were challenges. Parents reported that discrimination and disrespect by staff undermined trust in care. Conversely, positive instances of respect and culturally sensitive treatment were important in mitigating negative prior experiences of discrimination and increasing trust in care. Some patients perceived discrimination based on race and socioeconomic status. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino parents expressed more negative comments overall, followed by Asian parents. Negative comments were more common among parents with public insurance than those with private insurance. Researchers concluded that socioeconomic status and race impact how patients and families perceive and experience health care, revealing areas for improvement at medical clinics, but research is needed at more hospitals to determine how these issues, immigration status, gender and other issues are impacting quality of health care.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.