Racial Disparities In Health Care Essay

Health disparities have an overwhelming influence on not just individuals and families but also the society as a whole. These are variations that transpire in the delivery and access to health care across diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups. According to Mandal (2014), health disparities are population-specific differences in the presence of disease, health outcome or access to healthcare. Ethnic and racial disparities can be complex, comprising of social circumstances, lifestyle actions, socioeconomic influences and access to health services. In the nation, health disparities are a renowned concern among minorities such as African-Americans and Hispanics. African-Americans are recognized nation-wide as being sternly affected by health disparities. Numerous studies conducted have concluded that when compared with Caucasians, African-Americans experience a higher
This ethnic disparities in analgesic prescription as studies suggest, is as a result of the discernment of the patient and trust by the healthcare professional. Healthcare professionals have a tendency to trust Caucasians more than African-American patients hence the analgesic prescription disparities. One such factor is that healthcare professionals incorrectly believe that African-American patients are more likely to abuse drugs than Caucasians and therefore should have less access to them (Wyatt, 2013). Some healthcare providers view the account of pain by African-Americans as being less reliable. These healthcare providers perceive African-American patients as being at higher risk of pursuing analgesic in order to sell them or gratify their addiction. As such, the variation in analgesic prescription is as a consequence of physician misconception of African-American patients instead of