Calling Out Implicit Racial Bias as a Harm in Pediatric Care

The past and present effects of historical racism on the health of, and care for, those labeled minorities is well documented. Grier and Cobbs analyzed the effects of historical racism and current oppressions and humiliating disenfranchisements on African Americans as they transition into adulthood....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics 2016-07, Vol.25 (3), p.540-552
Main Authors: LANG, KELLIE R., DUPREE, CLARETTA Y., KON, ALEXANDER A., DUDZINSKI, DENISE M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Bias
Bioethics
Child
Children
Children & youth
Departments and Columns
Ethics
Health care
Health disparities
Humans
Meditation
Mental disorders
Pediatric Ethics
Pediatrics
Race
Racial bias
Racism
Social psychology
Students
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The past and present effects of historical racism on the health of, and care for, those labeled minorities is well documented. Grier and Cobbs analyzed the effects of historical racism and current oppressions and humiliating disenfranchisements on African Americans as they transition into adulthood. Research in clinical settings has demonstrated that African American children receive less counseling during well child visits and have lower rates of treatment of mental health disorders. Additionally, African American children with appendicitis are hospitalized less frequently, have higher rates of perforation and a greater delay to surgical management, and experience increased rates of appendix rupture. With the exception of Alegria, the authors cited earlier found these results troubling but suggested no provider-based possible cause; Alegria and her colleagues suggested providers be given incentives to reduce their negative attitudes toward minority youths. Washington also discussed the impact of racism on children, concluding that "African American children are still being harmed not only by abusive experimentation but also by the fear of research that follows in its wake. An implicit bias is an inflexible, unconscious belief about a particular category of people. Categorizing groups is an inevitable aspect of human nature and may be positive or negative. Implicit bias operates in an unintentional manner, is activated quickly and unknowingly, and exerts its influence on perception, memory, and behavior.
ISSN:0963-1801
1469-2147
DOI:10.1017/S0963180116000190