Open AccessRacial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Health Services
Author(s) -
Ashton Carol M.,
Haidet Paul,
Paterniti Debora A.,
Collins Tracie C.,
Gordon Howard S.,
O'Malley Kimberly,
Petersen Laura A.,
Sharf Barbara F.,
SuarezAlmazor Maria E.,
Wray Nelda P.,
Street Richard L.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of general internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.746
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 1525-1497
pISSN - 0884-8734
DOI - 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2003.20532.x
Subject(s) - medicine , health equity , ethnic group , psychological intervention , health communication , family medicine , gerontology , public health , nursing , public relations , sociology , anthropology , political science
African Americans and Latinos use services that require a doctor's order at lower rates than do whites. Racial bias and patient preferences contribute to disparities, but their effects appear small. Communication during the medical interaction plays a central role in decision making about subsequent interventions and health behaviors. Research has shown that doctors have poorer communication with minority patients than with others, but problems in doctor‐patient communication have received little attention as a potential cause, a remediable one, of health disparities. We evaluate the evidence that poor communication is a cause of disparities and propose some remedies drawn from the communication sciences.