The Dangers of Racial Bias in Healthcare
I came across a research study that revealed nursing staff racial assumptions about patients effected the care of advanced dementia patients in skilled nursing facilities. The study, “ Nursing Home Organizational Culture and Staff Perspectives Influencing Variability in Advanced Dementia Care: The ADVANCE Study ,” was conducted in 14 facilities across four states and included observations and interviews with healthcare staff. Researchers discovered that Black residents are more likely than white residents to receive more aggressive treatments including feeding tubes and hospital transfers. What prompted the discrepancy in the treatment of Black patients? Nursing staff assumed that the family members of Black patients were less willing to discuss treatment plans and wanted more aggressive care. Biases are dangerous in healthcare as it can adversly affect patient outcomes from providing inappropriate care to misdiagnosing a patient. Biases like in this study increase the distrust o