AFRICAN AMERICAN CLIENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF BIAS IN LOUISIANA HEALTHCARE Research Day 2012 School of Allied Health Professions Robin Steed, PhD, LOTR

How did I come up with this topic? Background

sample population positivenegative Attitudes towards African Americans

Current Study What I did during summer vacation

Demographics  n = 9  5 female 4 male  9 th grade – college  varied occupations  addictive disorder

“What have you experienced in terms of racial bias in healthcare?” “What contexts or situations have typically influenced or affected your experiences of racial bias in healthcare?” Guiding Questions

Analysis of Transcripts  Basis of Discrimination  Consequences (or Results) of Discrimination  Possible Solutions

Basis of Discrimination IInsurance SSES EEthnicity PPerceived Lifestyle Disparity in Quality LifestyleSESInsurance Ethnicity

Insurance and Trauma Outcomes

Basis of Discrimination IInsurance SSES EEthnicity PPerceived Lifestyle Disparity in Quality LifestyleSESInsurance Ethnicity

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey 2008, Louisiana

Basis of Discrimination IInsurance SSES EEthnicity PPerceived Lifestyle Disparity in Quality LifestyleSESInsurance Ethnicity

Days to Dg by Insurance & Ethnicity (Hoffman, 2011)

Basis of Discrimination Disparity in Quality LifestyleSESInsurance Ethnicity IInsurance SSES EEthnicity PPerceived Lifestyle

Results of Bias  Poor Communication  Deferred Treatment  Superficial Triage  Poor Client-practitioner Relationship

Solutions  Adapt to system vs. over adaptation  Take time to provide information  Institutional changes  Try to understand the client’s situation  Spiritual

So what’s the bottom line? Discussion

What does bias look like?  Lack of eye contact  Hesitant to touch/no touching  Washing hands after every touch  Talking “around”  Disrespectful language “Atta boy!”  In a hurry  Not explaining/ not asking / ignoring

Implications for Practice  Medical Model vs. Sociocultural Model  Mindfulness  Advocacy  Effective client education materials

Implications for Future Research  ROI investigations  Efficacy of community awareness campaigns  Examination of instructional interventions for practitioners  Design of client education

robinsteed.pbworks.com researchday.pbworks.com Questions?