Healthcare workers (HCWs) are likely to witness discrimination in their workplaces, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund and the African American Research Collaborative. This can contribute to negative health outcomes for patients as well as emotional distress for both patients and healthcare workers.
The report surveyed 3,000 healthcare workers (HCWs) from several types of healthcare facilities including long-term care, hospitals and outpatient facilities, and 26 different titles including nurses, LPNs and medical assistants. A total of 47% said they witnessed discrimination against patients, and 52% said that racism against patients was a major problem. Additionally, the study found that younger workers were more likely to feel the impact of patient discrimination, with 59% of workers younger than 40 facing stress due to discrimination compared with 26% of workers 60 or older.
Also, some 64% of respondents between the ages of 18-29 witnessed discriminatory actions compared to 44% of respondents between 40-59 and 25% of respondents older than 60. A total of 62% of Black HCWs reported being witnesses as well as 58% of Latino HCWs, 44% of AAPI HCWs and 42% of White HCWs.
Per the results, the highest-stress work environments tended to have more Black and Latino patients. Some 65% of workers employed in hospitals, long-term care, community-based and outpatient facilities with mostly Latino patients reported having “a lot of stress” and “some stress” compared to 73% of respondents at facilities with mostly Black patients.
The report suggests a few remedies to reduce discrimination. Among them are providing opportunities for workers to anonymously report instances of discrimination, examining facility policies with a critical eye towards reducing outcome gaps, requiring classes on discrimination at professional schools and providing chances for patients and healthcare professionals of color to engage in a dialogue.
