Perspectives of Black Patients on Racism Within Emergency Care

Abstract

Numerous Black individuals experience racism persistently throughout their lives, with repercussions extending into health care settings. The perspectives of Black individuals regarding emergency department (ED) care, racism, and patient-centered approaches for dismantling structural racism remain less explored. To qualitatively explore the perspectives and experiences of Black patients related to race, racism, and health care following a recent ED visit. In this qualitative study, the audio from semistructured interviews of Black patients discharged from an academic urban ED between August 2021 to April 2022 were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The main outcomes encompassed the main themes from the analysis of the interviews with Black patients regarding their perspectives on race, racism, and clinical care. A total of 25 Black patients (20 [80%] female; mean [SD] age, 44.6 [12.9] years) discharged from the ED were interviewed. Three broad domains were identified: (1) racism in health care; (2) ED clinical care; and (3) recommendations for improvement. Within these domains, the first 2 were grouped into specific themes. Within the first domain, racism in health care, 7 themes were identified using thematic analysis: (1) a history of medical racism; (2) dismissiveness; (3) patient expectations on encountering racism; (4) medical mistrust; (5) health literacy; (6) postencounter outcomes, and (7) discrimination beyond but associated with race. Within the second theme, ED clinical care, 5 themes were identified using the same thematic analysis method: (1) discharge plan; (2) patient experience; (3) waiting room perceptions; (4) medication treatment; and (5) pain management. The third domain, recommendations for improvement, incorporated patient-generated suggestions for enhancing the Black patient experience. In this qualitative study, the fabric of clinical care delivery in the ED was intricately woven with Black patients' experiences of racism. Patients expressed a pervasive sense of mistrust, skepticism, and dismissiveness at the system level. Instances of racism were consistently highlighted by patients from their entry to the ED to discharge. These perspectives illuminate the pervasive nature of racism in clinical care, providing valuable insights for exploring patient-centered approaches to foster antiracist cultures in the ED and throughout the broader medical landscape.