Despite progress in evidence-based medicine, Black and Indigenous populations still endure stark health disparities, including higher maternal mortality rates and shortened life expectancy. These inequalities stem from ingrained biases such as superiority bias, where healthcare providers disregard cultural practices, and confirmation bias, leading to harmful misconceptions about patient pain tolerance. Addressing these issues necessitates a comprehensive approach that appreciates the entire person—encompassing mind, body, and spirit—and integrates traditional healing methods, promoting holistic health care and overcoming historical injustices inflicted on these communities.
Only by recognizing the whole person-mind, body, and spirit-can communities heal after long having been underserved, overlooked, and impacted by colonization.
Superiority bias occurs when providers assume their methods are universally superior, dismissing patient perspectives and cultural practices.
According to the CDC, Black women face a maternal mortality rate of 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births-nearly three times the rate for white women.
Bias in healthcare is neither new nor rare; confirmation bias leads to false beliefs about patients, resulting in severe health disparities.
Collection
[
|
...
]