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Healthcare Providers’ Formative Experiences with Race and Black Male Patients in Urban Hospital Environments

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Abstract

Objective

We explored health providers’ formative personal and professional experiences with race and Black men as a way to assess their potential influence on interactions with Black male patients.

Methods

Utilizing convenience sampling with snowballing techniques, we identified healthcare providers in two urban university hospitals. We compared Black and White providers’ experiences based on race and level of training. We used the Gardener’s Tale to conceptualize how racism may lead to racial health disparities. A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-person interviews (n = 16). Using the grounded theory approach, we conducted three types of coding to examine data patterns.

Results

We found two themes reflective of personally mediated racism: (1) perception of Black males accompanied by two subthemes (a) biased care and (b) fear and discomfort and (2) cognitive dissonance. While this latter theme is more reflective of Jones’s internalized racism level, we present its results because its novelty is compelling.

Conclusions

Perception of Black males and cognitive dissonance appear to influence providers’ approaches with Black male patients. This study suggests the need to develop initiatives and curricula in health professional schools that address provider racial bias. Understanding the dynamics operating in the patient-provider encounter enhances the ability to address and reduce health disparities.

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Notes

  1. Black is defined as a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would first and foremost like to thank the medical providers who participated in our one-on-one interviews and shared their experiences with us in the clinical setting. We would also like to thank Dr. Sandra Bloom, MD, for her contribution recruiting our participants and Carolyn Jackson from the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, for managing and assisting in interview preparation. The authors credit two anonymous reviewers for strengthening the final manuscript through their comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Howard University, 2400 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA

    Marie V. Plaisime

  2. WellStar Health System, 805 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA, 30066, USA

    David J. Malebranche

  3. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Nesbitt Hall, 6th Fl., Rm. 656, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Andrea L. Davis

  4. Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Nesbitt Hall, Room 655, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Jennifer A. Taylor

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  1. Marie V. Plaisime
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  2. David J. Malebranche
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer A. Taylor.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human Participant Protection

Human subjects within this study were exposed to minimal risk.

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Plaisime, M.V., Malebranche, D.J., Davis, A.L. et al. Healthcare Providers’ Formative Experiences with Race and Black Male Patients in Urban Hospital Environments. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 4, 1120–1127 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0317-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0317-x

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