Health Disparities Among Filipino Americans

Barriers in health care can lead to disparities in meeting health needs and receiving appropriate care, including preventive services and the prevention of unnecessary hospitalizations (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012). In their 2008 annual report, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality lists several disparities’ in health care. They report that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States

The answer is no simple or a single solution. Rather, the answers must address the range of causes of disparities (inequalities in education, housing, and health insurance) and empower multiple levels of change ( patients, providers, health systems, policymakers, communities). These levels of change are most commonly found in the fundamental public health Socio-Ecological model. In this model, there are 5 levels, intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, institutions and policy, that could be focused on when implementing solutions to public health concerns, which health disparities would be considered. One method that should be looked at very closely in the institutional level of the model is reorganizing the curriculum of physician education in order to incorporate cultural competency. Such training can improve provider knowledge, attitudes and skills, which may be an important precursor to addressing unconscious provider bias. Drawing upon evidence in social cognitive psychology, Van Rhys Burgess have outlined strategies and skills for healthcare providers to prevent unconscious racial biases from influencing the clinical encounter. Their framework includes: 1) Enhancing internal motivation and avoiding external pressure to reduce bias, 2) Enhancing understanding of the psychosocial basis of bias, 3) Enhancing providers’ confidence in their

In a perfect world, race, ethnicity and culture would have no negative effect on the medical care we receive, yet problems do arise and it affects the quality of care the patient receives. Language barrier, poor socioeconomic status, and poor health literacy also contribute to health care disparity. For Lia, it was more than her skin color, it was all of the above, her parents did not speak English and they were illiterate. They had trouble understanding the American healthcare system, had trouble or little interest in adjusting to or understanding the American culture. They didn’t work, which in addition to cross cultural misunderstanding, helped contribute to animosity between the Hmong and the host community, because some in the Merced area did not like or appreciate the fact that some Hmong did not work and relied on welfare to make ends meet. All these factors, contributed to the poor quality of

One of the points raised in IOM’s article to prove that racism is a prevalent cause of health care disparity is the way the health care system is set-up, meaning at times, some hospitals and clinics can adopt a policy to contain health care cost, but may pose hindrances to minority patients’ capability to access the care.

After the IOM conducted a few studies using clinical data abstracted from patients, it was found that minorities do not receive the same needed treatment than caucasians do. However, some researchers, patients might react differently to treatment because of their racial and ethnic backgrounds. One factor for this justification, is the fact that some patients have racial differences in attitudes and behavior causing them to reject or delay getting treatment. Many people's cultural backgrounds impact their medical decisions. In addition, research suggest that many doctors may be justify when diagnosing and treating minority patients. As a result, researchers believe that these aspects are linked together with providers attitudes. In most cases providers have to use these disparities to diagnose treatment to patients. A

The mistreatment of the health care system needs to be addressed at multiple levels of analysis. Several studies have demonstrated that prejudice in the health care system at the interpersonal relationship with healthcare providers), institutional (quality of healthcare services and facilities) and the macrosystems levels (healthcare policies) contributes to health disparities (Wesley, 2009). For instance, a study found that Black women are far less likely (60%) to be referred for cardiac cauterization (which is considered the most accurate procedure of diagnosing heart conditions) than White men; considerably less than the disparity found for Black men and White women (40%) to be referred for cardiac cauterization compared to White men (Canto,

There is evidence that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower quality of care than non-minorities, it is also shown that minority patients experience greater morbidity and mortality from various

the intricate American health care system. Members of the community may not know the right

The minority group patients try to avoid being associated with doctors from the dominant groups. And this situation has been continuously increasing as a perceived solution to the discrimination experienced by minority groups. The problem with this is that physicians turned out to be more focused in one race practice that may affect other patients from different race (Nayer, Hadnott, and Venable 2010). However, there are researchers who found out that same-race discrimination also exists in the health care system. “If discrimination is likely to occur regardless of the race of the provider, then one cannot successfully avoid discrimination by seeking care from a same-race health care providers.” 12.6 percent of the respondents they studied

The data was gotten from interviews conducted in six different communities, the study was done using a population based sample of 1,699 respondents from Chicago to address the perception of racial/ethnic discrimination in healthcare among whites, African Americans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans, and to discover if the perception of racial/ethnic

Growing up in the lower valley on the Eastern side of Washington State, there is a melting pot of cultures. A misconception about the eastern side of Washington is said to not having a multitude of cultures but from working with the public, I have fortunately had the opportunity to work with many different cultures. I grew up in Toppenish, Washington which is 7-minute drive from where my cultural experience took place. In the fall, there are fewer events that take place around the valley and I have been to many events for other cultures. The culture in which I thought I would love to learn more about is the Filipino culture. I have many Filipino acquaintances that are regulars at my place of work I was invited to go to the 64th Annual Filipino Harvest Dinner on October 23, 2016 in Wapato, Washington. I was very excited for this opportunity to learn more about the Filipino culture and apply what I have learned into nursing practice. Many times, we forget about all of the different cultures around us and by taking a step back and learning about different cultures our spectrum of patient population care be expanded.

Medical racism affects people of color in contemporary society in a variety of ways (Holloway, 2105). Doctors unaware of their unconscious racial biases may treat patients of color differently, such as lecturing them, speaking more slowly to them and keeping them longer for visits (Study, 2014). Such behaviors lead minority patients to feel disrespected by medical providers and sometimes suspend care. In addition, some physicians fail to give patients of color the same range of treatment options as they offer to white patients (Study, 2014). Medical racism won’t dissipate until medical schools teach doctors about the history of institutional racism and its legacy today. In spite of significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of most chronic diseases, there is evidence that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower quality of care than non-minorities and that, patients of minority ethnicity experience greater morbidity and mortality from various chronic diseases than non-minorities (Study, 2014). Rather than looking for biological factors inherent in race which are responsible for racial inequities in health, some researchers propose that the “problem of racism” must be seen as one of the primary factors in producing inequitable health outcomes in racialized populations regardless of socioeconomic or educational status (Study, 2014). Racial inequality in health needs to be situated within an historical context and a contemporary reality shaped by racism in its various forms (Study, 2014). While race is often referred to as a social construct with no real material base, racist assumptions continue to shape institutions and social interactions including those related to health and health care (Study, 2014). This ties back to ‘white privilege’; being identified as ‘white’ is prescribed in the way we act and

Sa ibat-ibang sector ng pamahalaan maraming mga workshops, at seminars ang pinapatupad ng Kagawaran ng kalusugan sa pagpigil ng pagkontrol ng tabako sa bansa.Sa Kagawarang misyon,ang National Institute of Health ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Manila na nangunguna sa pakikipagnegosasyon sa teknikal at pinansyal na aspeto sa WHO. Ang kanilang sentro ng pag-uusap ay sa pamamaraan sa pagsugpo ng tabako.( Lorenzo,M. Phd.2009)

An intervention to give physicians cultural competency training while redefining clinical guidelines will improve care for people of minority races and of all genders. This intervention must take place starting from medical school and will include trainings for physicians through their internships, residencies, and fellowships. Due to a history of institutionalized racism stemming from the

“Social justice is a matter of life and death” (WHO, 2008). This was a statement made by the World Health Organization (WHO) in their Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. This statement illustrates the impact that power, privilege, and oppression can have on an individual’s life, and ultimately their health. Health inequity is largely rooted in ageism, classism, sexism, homophobia and racism, this inequity is apparent in the differential outcomes seen across the respective demographics (McGibbon, 2012). Racial health inequity is a systemic and persistent issue in the United States of America; and the disparity in outcome, access and quality of healthcare afforded to White and non-White patients is significant. In America, people of color: have higher rates of non-genetic illnesses, are less likely to have health insurance or a usual source of health care, and show greater mortality rates from cancers that are controllable with early diagnosis and treatment (Russell, 2010). In this essay, I will claim that racial oppression in healthcare and the general society create and perpetuate racial health inequity; whilst also acknowledging the role that intersectionality plays in this issue. Furthermore, I will use tools of philosophy and social psychology to present ways to reduce the disparity in healthcare - focusing on the implicit biases of healthcare providers and stereotype threat experienced by minority patients.