7 Ways Black People Are Mistreated by Doctors and Hospitals

By Nick Chiles | Published on February 5, 2015

For centuries, African-Americans have faced the consequences and daily struggles of discrimination in every aspect of their lives. Health care is an area in which many African-Americans have suffered the detrimental health effects of this maltreatment. In fact, racism is one of the mechanisms that explains and expands racial disparities in health.

Black Women Least Likely to Get Referred for Heart Test

In a seminal study, researcher Kevin Shulman found that the odds that Blacks and women presenting with chest pain would be referred for cardiac catheterization were 60 percent of those of whites and men. The disparity was most dramatic for Black women, whose odds of being referred for catheterization were 40 percent of those of white men. Cardiac catheterization is an X-ray-based diagnostic procedure that allows physicians to determine whether there are blockages in the coronary arteries, the vessels that feed blood to the heart muscle. The test is commonly administered to patients suspected of having coronary artery disease. Results are used to confirm a diagnosis and identify the best course of treatment.

Widespread Disrespect Reported by Black Patients

A report in the “Journal of Family Practice” by researchers Janice Blanchard of George Washington University and Nicole Lurie of the Rand Corp. found that nearly one in six Blacks reported they had been treated with disrespect by their doctor. Respondents who reported being treated with disrespect were significantly less likely to have had a physical exam within the prior year; those with diabetes, hypertension or heart disease were less likely to have received optimal care. These respondents were also more likely to report not following the doctor’s advice and putting off needed care.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way