Assignment task:
For your Initial Post, you will select one of the three topics provided. You must read the article, review the website, listen to the audio link, or watch the video provided for the Topic you selected. You should respond to each prompt listed under the topic you select for your Initial Post. Although quality always matters much more than quantity, as a guideline you should aim for somewhere between 75-125 words (about 3 paragraphs total or about 1 paragraph per prompt).
Additionally, in your Initial Post, you must incorporate material from the course text, the resource you viewed/read for the Discussion Forum, or other reference material if appropriate. It is important to support your position. If you quote or paraphrase someone, then you should include the author, date, and page number (paragraph if online resource) in parentheses to denote where the information came from. This is an in-text cite. For references to material other than the course text or the resources used for the discussion forum, you are required to include the full reference using American Psychological Association (APA) formatting at the bottom of your post (MLA format is acceptable).Race and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
People of color are often less likely to receive quality health care and preventative care as compared to their white counterparts. They also have more negative health outcomes for certain types of conditions. Additionally, people of color can experience less desirable treatment outcomes in part because cultural differences can lead to a doctor's misunderstanding of a patient's needs. Dr. Damon Tweedy relates that he ultimately became a psychiatrist because of the stigma that mental health treatment has in the black community. He laments the lack of black physicians in general but especially the lack of black male physicians. He asserts that the doctor/patient relationship has become "frayed" particularly in the black community and seeks ways to bring about change.
Dr. Khadijah Breathett observes that patients of color are victims of bias rather than racism. She says that white doctors often do not refer patients of color to specialists because of the assumption that these patients cannot afford the treatment and/or will not follow the doctor's advice. She goes on to say that white doctors mean well but are often blind to their unconscious biases. Increasing the diversity of doctors is a way to help break down the bias against patients of color. Developing a sense of trust between doctor and patient is important to break down bias and to help ensure better patient outcomes.
Watch these videos:
Review Video: A doctor's memoir shows race matters in the hospital room posted at pbs
Respond to all of the prompts below if this is your initial post (remember to submit one paragraph per prompt minimum). You are required to incorporate and cite material from the course text, the included Topical resource(s), or other resources (from outside the course which require a full reference at the bottom of your post) to support your standpoint for at least one of the three prompts you are responding to.
Tweedy argues that race plays a factor in the relationship between white physicians and patients of color. Discuss some ways that this can be addressed.
Breathett contends that physicians may have an unconscious bias toward patients of color and treat them differently than non-minorities such as being less likely to refer patients of color to specialists. What are some ways that we can begin to address this issue? Need Assignment Help?
Why is it important that patients of color receive health care services from doctors of color? How can we as a society encourage more students of color to enter and complete medical school? Should we do this? Discuss.
This activity fulfills the following objectives:
Explain race and ethnicity and their significance in society
Describe ways to address the unequal treatment of people in society