Habla Blog

A NewsWire article states that “for many Americans, poverty and lack of health insurance make it difficult to get necessary health and medical care. According to a new study, once they do visit the doctor, poor, uninsured people often report racial discrimination when communicating with health care professionals.” A University of South Carolina study evaluated data on 4,556 adults in a telephone interview. The survey asked questions about their treatment by the healthcare system, medical professionals, and staff.

The study found that people without insurance were twice as likely to perceive an ethnic or racial bias, than those with private insurance. The study found that African Americans and Spanish-speaking Hispanics were almost eight times more likely to be treated differently. The survey participants described the treatment which includes: unfair judgment, disrespect, being talked down to by medical personnel, treating other patients before them, not explaining procedures well enough, and not listening to patients.

The study also mentioned that “good communication between doctors and patients seemed to protect against racial discrimination. In the study, good physician-patient communication was associated with a 71 percent decrease in the odds of reporting racial and ethnic bias during health care visits.”

Speaking Spanish may help bridge that communication gap, and help patients feel more at ease to talk about their medical condition.

For more information on Spanish for Medical Professionals, visit www.wardspeaking.com, or contact us at 573-356-0406.