Knowra Medical racism Medical racism Medical racism is racial bias and discrimination embedded in medical institutions, clinical practices, research, and treatment, producing unequal care and health outcomes.
Implicit bias : Implicit bias consists of automatic associations that can influence judgment and behavior without conscious intent. Unconscious associations can shape clinicians’ assessments and treatment decisions.
Tuskegee Syphilis Study : A United States Public Health Service study that observed untreated syphilis in Black men in Alabama from 1932 to 1972. The study exemplifies research exploitation and the denial of effective treatment to Black participants.
Medical apartheid : Medical apartheid describes the history of medical experimentation and unequal care imposed on Black people in the United States. The concept traces practices and institutions that established racial hierarchy in American medicine.
Maternal mortality in the United States : Maternal mortality in the United States is the death of a person during pregnancy or within a year after pregnancy ends. Black patients face markedly higher maternal mortality, reflecting unequal risks and care.
Individual racism : Individual racism is prejudice, discriminatory behavior, or racial hostility expressed by a person. Medical racism includes personal conduct but also operates through institutional practices.
Diagnostic bias : Diagnostic bias occurs when judgments or evidence are interpreted differently because of a patient’s social identity. Racialized assumptions can affect which diagnoses clinicians consider or overlook.
Henrietta Lacks : An African American woman whose cervical cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and became the HeLa cell line. Her case raises questions about consent, exploitation, and the racialized use of biological samples.
Scientific racism : Scientific racism uses purported scientific methods or findings to justify racial hierarchy. Racial theories gave medical authority to false claims about biological difference.
Racial disparities in health care : Racial disparities in health care are differences among racial groups in access, treatment, quality, and outcomes. These measurable differences are a central consequence of medical racism.
Institutional racism : Institutional racism is racial discrimination embedded in an organization’s policies, routines, and outcomes. It captures the organizational dimension of racism within health systems.
Show all 26