How has race affected your patient journey?
In your opinion, how has bias affected your journey as a patient? How do you think your journey would be different if you were a different race? Share your thoughts below.
This is a conversation that needs to be discussed at length because race plays a significant role in access to care and implicit bias towards black patients. As a foreigner, I have experienced racism firsthand in my healthcare journey starting from college to adulthood. So much so that when I'm in a pain crisis, I always dress up so I'm not unfairly judged in the emergency room. It is also important that when I make my way to the ER during a vast-occlusive crisis, I go with someone who can advocate on my behalf when I'm met with resistance because of my race. I know for a fact that when I'm accompanied by a friend who is caucasian, the care I receive is significantly different. The tone of the doctors and nurses changes and they are more attentive to my needs and take time to listen to my suggestions, given that I know my body better than anyone else.
