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Racial and Gender Bias in Healthcare

Shelby Evans

Santa Fe College

HSA3111.0M1

Professor Bell

October 2, 2021

CHEP 1

Textbook chapters used: 4 & 11

 
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Racial and Gender Bias in Healthcare

According to the Declaration of Independence, all men are created equal. In regard to

health care, that sentiment is not honored. Numerous studies have shown evident racial and

gender disparities present in the United States health care system. Roughly 30% of the U.S.

population belongs to a minority group (Shi and Singh, 2019, 254). This population of

Americans, among others, are susceptible to not receiving the quality medical care they need,

and in turn, are faced with less than pleasant outcomes. The United States health care system is

laden with racial and gender bias due to racial stereotypes in medical education, discrimination

in medical research, and neglect of transgender medical knowledge; with education reform,

further medical research, and transgender awareness training these issues can begin to resolve.

There is a significant link between the U.S. health care system and the education system.

Quality care begins with the education of our medical professionals. Dr. Nwando Olayiwola,

professor and department chair at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, explains

that many racial stereotypical “facts” are taught throughout medical education. Arguably one of

the most damaging stereotypes states that black patients have a higher threshold for pain. This

has led to many black patients being disregarded and put at a higher risk for negative medical

outcomes. Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die during pregnancy and 50% less likely

to receive medical intervention for a heart attack due to this stereotype. Likewise, Asian

Americans are significantly less likely to receive a mental health diagnosis as racial stereotypes

suggest that Asians do not have mental health issues (Ted, 2020). Each graduating class that has

consumed this information is further perpetuating racism in healthcare. With education reform,

these outcomes can change. A required class dedicated to racial and ethnic disparities would

bring awareness to this pertinent issue and would force young doctors to not turn a blind eye.
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Additionally, this class should be required as continuing education for doctors who have finished

their schooling. Harmful information has no room in health care and it is imperative that no one

is exempt from the unlearning process.

Throughout history, the oppression of women has created many disadvantages and lesser

opportunities. The archaic ideology that men are superior to women is apparent in medical

research. In early medical studies, men were the only subjects to be tested. Information gathered

from these studies was often generalized to encompass women. However, as common knowledge

now, the anatomy between a male and female body is different, thus harsh generalizations cannot

be accurately made. When doctors are reviewing symptoms of diseases to determine a diagnosis,

more often than not these textbook symptoms are those of men. Leading to many women being

misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed, as they present contradicting symptoms. Until 2016, during

prescription drug trials, if an animal or cell testing was used, customarily only male subjects

were tested. This was due to female test subjects skewing results which made researchers want to

omit female representation altogether. The National Institute of Health declared in 2016 that

medical research funding would not be granted unless female subjects were accounted for. Only

five years ago, new medication was hitting the market without any testing on the female

anatomy. This lack of research is present in thousands of medications being prescribed to

females daily. New testing should be conducted on the medications most often taken by women.

This new testing has the capability to spare many women the negative side effects that are

potential risks when taking medications, as well as radically change the approach of health care

for women. Health care should not be approached as “one-size fits all” and neither should

medical research (Jackson, 2019).

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For most, it is not a worry that your current health care provider will be unknowledgeable

or unable to provide a course of treatment appropriate for you. For transgender patients, this is a

constant obstacle. A study conducted in New York found that out of 101 transgender females

30% of them were challenged by finding knowledgeable providers. The United States in general

is suffering from a shortage of doctors with the typical ratio being 271.6 physicians per 100,000

people (Shi and Singh, 2019, 81). With the shortage of doctors and the limited knowledge of

how to care for transgender patients, many transgender people are left without options. Studies

have also shown that many medical students are not satisfied with the amount of education they

received regarding LGBTQ+ health care. In fact, only 6% of students feel they could sufficiently

care for transgender patients (Korpaisarn, 2018). Transgender individuals are at a severely high

risk for suicide. It is imperative that medical services, both mental and physical, become more

obtainable. There are doctors who are working tirelessly to support transgender patients.

Creating a workshop led by these knowledgeable physicians, both for doctors and support staff,

to raise awareness on how to care for these individuals would bring a bigger voice to this issue.

Everyone involved with the health care system should be aware of the needs of transgender

patients and all medical staff should be attending transgender awareness meetings. It is

imperative that transgender individuals be seen, heard, and respected.   

The United States health care system underserves many Americans due to racial and

gender bias. Racial stereotypes in medical education, discrimination in medical research, and

neglect of transgender medical knowledge are at the forefront of the major problems in the health

care system. These issues can be mitigated through education reform, further medical research,

and transgender awareness training. At the heart of health care is compassion. If health care

providers, support staff, and patients advocate together, a better health care system will prevail.
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References

Jackson, G. (2019, November 13). The female problem: How male bias in medical trials ruined
women's health. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/13/the-female-problem-male-bias-
in-medical-trials

Korpaisarn S., Safer D, (2018). Gaps in transgender medical education among healthcare
providers: A major barrier to care for transgender persons. Rev Endocr Metab
Disord 19, 271–275 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-018-9452-5

Shi, L., & Singh, D.A. (2019). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care system (5th ed.). Jones &
Bartlett Learning

Ted. (2020, December 7). J. Nwando Olayiwola: Combating racism and place-ism in medicine
[video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bnm__UPTRM