10 Healthcare Tips for Minorities
Healthcare should feel like a safe, supportive space for healing, wellness, and compassionate care. However, for many minorities, this is not their experience; their negative healthcare encounters have left them feeling powerless, disregarded, and even violated. If you are a minority, then your physical characteristics, your ethnic background and cultural practices, your religious beliefs, your native language, and so on – should not affect your access to healthcare or the quality of services that you receive. However, the reality is that it sadly does. Did you know that minorities experience higher rates of healthcare-associated infections: (1), higher levels of distrust toward healthcare workers: (2), a greater likelihood to delay seeking care: (2), and higher rates of death in certain areas, such as maternal deaths during and immediately after pregnancy: (3)? Minority patients have negative healthcare experiences and outcomes at rates that are disproportionately higher than their non-minority counterparts; therefore, every minority should have a proper understanding of their patient rights as well as a willingness to participate in their care. I have proposed 10 essential tips that will help you to better understand the most common nuances of patient care and regain control of your healthcare needs and decisions.
Hand Hygiene:
Hand hygiene is a fancy term for the practice of cleaning your hands, whether by washing them with soap and water, or by using an appropriate hand sanitizer. Infections spread very easily through contaminated or dirty hands, so don’t be afraid to respectfully request that all healthcare workers that render direct care to you perform hand hygiene when you see that it is not being done properly and consistently.
Medications and Treatments:
Make a point to understand you or your loved one’s illness and any associated medicines, and/or treatments. This includes the reason for it, possible side effects (long and short term), and alternative treatment options. Note: Western medical providers usually focus on conventional ways of treating you such as surgeries, procedures, and medicines - which do have their place. However, holistic therapies, natural medicine, psychotherapy, and simple lifestyle changes can sometimes be safer and more effective alternatives to conventional treatments.
Medical Terminology:
Ask healthcare workers to break down all of their big medical terms to your level of literacy and understanding, and request an interpreter if your primary language is not English. Some ways to get better understanding may include (but is not limited to) asking them to speak slowly and more clearly as they are providing you with education, requesting that they use simpler medical terms that are understandable, or even to provide you with educational instructions that are written in your primary language if that is easier for you to comprehend.
White Coat Intimidation:
‘White Coat Intimidation’ (not to be confused with ‘White Coat Hypertension’) is a term I coined that refers to the intimidating feelings that come when you encounter healthcare workers or certain healthcare environments. The “intimidation” may start as a nervous/anxious feeling that leads to feelings of fear or helplessness. These feelings may cause you to relinquish your power and control to the provider because it may seem like “they know what’s best”. This is your health and your future. No one knows you better than you. Be sure to be very clear and concise about your health, your needs, your expectations, and your concerns. It is okay to respectfully assert your feedback, thoughts, questions, and wishes to healthcare providers and workers regarding your care. You deserve for your voice to be heard!
Negative Staff Interactions:
Assess for prejudiced, biased, or inconsiderate care from staff (if possible, document the negative interactions or encounters that you or your family member may have with providers or staff. Make note of the dates, times, circumstances, outcomes, what you were feeling, and everyone involved to refer back to if needed). If the behavior continues without rectification, proceed to report it to the next person in charge in the chain of command. Most facilities have patient questionnaires and evaluations in which you can leave a review after your visit. Be sure to fill this out to voice your complaints.
Support Individuals:
Have a family member or support person present during your appointment visits or hospital stays whenever possible. They can help to report any maltreatment or neglect, to advocate for you if you are incapacitated, and to provide general support for you during your stay or visit.
Medical Records:
You and your approved designees have the right to access your treatments, medicines, diagnosis, and other aspects of your medical record. This usually can be accessed through online patient portals and/or medical records departments
Advanced Directives:
An Advanced Directive is simply any type of legal document that states your wishes in the event that you become incapacitated or unable to express your own medical,financial, and end of life wishes. This includes, but is not limited to, Living Wills, Power of Attorney, and Resuscitation orders. It is best to fill this out before calamity hits, to prevent your loved ones from having to manage the distressing and complex decisions that must be made on your behalf while you are sick.
Consent Forms and Other Documents:
Make sure that you understand all documents that you are required to sign; if there is something that you do not understand, ask for clarification, or research it on your own before signing. Never allow anyone to pressure you or your family member into signing or consenting to anything that you do not understand or agree with, and remember that you may request copies of any documents that you sign.
Provider Compatibility:
When seeking a Primary Care Provider (PCP) or any Specialist, be sure to choose one that has your best interests at heart. You can research this by looking up providers and reading up on their credentialing, their years of experience, and other patient’s reviews. Ask about their background and see if they have any specializations, certifications, or passions for what is important to you (minority health disparities, women’s health, patient populations with low incomes, are they multilingual, etc.). If you establish care with a provider and then learn that they are not right for you or your loved one, ask how to safely transfer care to another provider.
These essential tips are only the tip of the iceberg of what we call patient-centered care, which is care that puts your safety, rights, and autonomy at the forefront. It is important to note that the healthcare environment encompasses various domains, such as hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, mental health practices, home health services, community health services, telemedicine, and many more. My hope is that these tips will be a starting point for you and your loved ones to safeguard your mind, body, dignity, and future as a minority in any and every healthcare environment.
Shala David BSN, RN, CCRN
Sources:
Chen, J., Khazanchi, R., Bearman, G., & Marcelin, J. R. (2021). Racial/ethnic inequities in healthcare-associated infections under the shadow of structural racism: Narrative review and call to action. Current Infectious Disease Reports, 23(10). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-021-00758-x
Hamed, S., Bradby, H., Ahlberg, B. M., & Thapar-Björkert, S. (2022). Racism in healthcare: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 988. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13122-y
MacDorman, M. F., Thoma, M., Declcerq, E., & Howell, E. A. (2021). Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality in the United States using Enhanced Vital Records, 2016‒2017. American Journal of Public Health, 111(9), 1673–1681. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2021.306375
Shala David is a Registered Nurse with a national board certification in Critical Care. She has pursued cross-country travel nursing for the last three and a half years, in which she acquired experience with various patient populations, acuities, and specialties and collaborated with numerous interprofessional healthcare team members. Amidst her endeavors, she quickly found that educating patients, families, healthcare workers, and communities is just as important as providing healthcare itself. She realized - both with her own patients and in her own personal healthcare experiences - how a lack of education and resources for minority populations can directly (and indirectly) lead to poor health outcomes, fear and distrust toward healthcare workers, increased medical costs, and systemic cycles of opportunistic maltreatment in marginalized communities. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing degree with an emphasis in Nursing Education. She believes that her work will help to provide wise council and mentorship to novice healthcare workers, as well as educate and uplift disadvantaged communities to help give them the knowledge and power that has been generationally taken from them.
