Race, Gender, and Partnership in the Patient-Physician Relationship

Abstract

Studies have shown that African Americans and other minority patients often receive differential and less optimal technical health care than white Americans.^1-16 It is uncertain how much of these racial differences in health care and outcomes can be explained by patient cultural factors, health care professional biases, or health care system biases. Differences in socioeconomic status and health insurance coverage between patients only partially explain the observed racial differences in health care.^7,17,18