Black Americans face not only systemic barriers to healthcare access but also direct harm within clinical settings due to racial bias among healthcare professionals. A recent peer-reviewed article in the AMA Journal of Ethics reveals how clinician bias contributes to iatrogenic harm—injury caused by medical care itself—and worsens health outcomes for Black patients.
Pain management and diabetes-related limb amputations are two stark examples. Studies show that White medical trainees who believe false biological differences between races consistently rate Black patients’ pain lower and offer less treatment. Black patients are also less likely to be referred to pain specialists and more likely to be screened for substance use, reflecting a biased assumption that they exaggerate pain or seek opioids deceitfully.
In diabetes care, Black patients are more likely to undergo limb amputation than White patients, even when presenting with similar or less severe conditions. Research found that disparities in amputation rates were greater among surgeons who treated fewer Black patients, suggesting that clinician bias plays a role in treatment decisions.
These biases not only deny Black patients proper care but also damage trust in healthcare institutions. “Health care sends the message that Black people’s lives and the joy Black people could have from a pain-free life are not as important,” the article states.
To address these harms, healthcare systems must actively identify and eliminate racial bias, educate clinicians, and center Black patients’ needs in care delivery.
See: “Clinicians’ Racial Biases as Pathways to Iatrogenic Harms for Black People” (August 1, 2022)
