'Where is the diversity in this facility?' Experiences of emergency care among visible minority individuals in Kingston, Ontario

• Published in: Ethnicity & health 2025-01, Vol.30 (1), p.98-119
• Main Authors: Nathoo, Aisha, Gaspari, Sierra, Oogarah, Gaitree, Kirby, Stephen, Purkey, Eva, Bartels, Susan A., Walker, Melanie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Compassionate care; Cultural competence; Discrimination; emergency department; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Emergency services; Empowerment; equity-deserving groups; Health disparities; health equity; Health services; Kindness; language barriers; Language translation; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority groups; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Narratives; Negative experiences; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative research; Quality of care; Quantitative analysis; Racism; SDG 10: Reduced inequalities; SDG 3: Good health and well-being; Sensemaking; Sympathy; Translation; visible minority
• ISSN: 1355-7858; 1465-3419
• DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2024.2412858

Visible minorities, a growing segment of Canada's population, have voiced concerns about experiencing racism while receiving care in the emergency department (ED). Understanding the ED care experiences of visible minorities is crucial to improving care and reducing health disparities. From June to August 2021, we collected data from participants in Kingston, Ontario using a sensemaking approach. Individuals who had accessed emergency care or accompanied someone else to the ED in the prior 24 months were eligible to participate. After sharing a brief narrative about their care experience, participants interpreted the experience by plotting their perspectives on a variety of pre-determined questions. Here, we conducted a thematic analysis of narratives involving patients who identified as visible minorities and complemented it with quantitative analysis of the participants' interpretative responses. This mixed-methods approach highlighted the distinct experiences of visible minority participants in relation to a comparison group. Of the 1973 unique participants, 117 identified as a visible minority and 949 participants did not identify with an equity-deserving group (comparison group). Visible minority participants were more likely to report that too little attention was paid to their identity and more likely to express a desire for a balance between receiving the best medical care and being treated with kindness and respect. Visible minorities' ED experiences were also more likely to be impacted by how emergency staff behaved. Qualitative analysis revealed negative experiences of feeling uninformed and disempowered, facing judgement and discrimination, and experiencing language barriers. Positive experiences of receiving compassionate care from staff also emerged. Visible minority perceptions of ED care were often negative and mainly focused on staff treatment. Cultural competency and language translation services are key areas for improvement to make ED care more accessible and equitable.