Those who work in healthcare know that the field can sometimes be taxing. Between high-stakes situations, long hours, and stressful environments, healthcare delivery isn’t always easy for professionals in the industry.

Unfortunately, beyond these challenges, patients can also make work more difficult for healthcare workers. Specifically, instances in which patients, whether they’re getting a check-up or being admitted to the hospital, display attitudes of racial bias can be particularly harmful to the mental wellness of healthcare professionals. Understanding the significant impact of these experiences on healthcare workers’ mental states is key to gaining a more nuanced perspective of healthcare in today’s world.

Here is exploring the psychological impact of racial bias in healthcare delivery.

The Effects of Racial Bias

Experiences of racial bias can have an incredibly negative impact on the mental states of those who experience it. This is especially true for healthcare workers who may be forced to work in environments in which they experience these disheartening attitudes on a regular basis, whether that be in hospitals or community service environments. Some keyways that racial bias can psychologically impact healthcare workers include:

Self-doubt and poor self-esteem: Repeated experiences of racial bias can cause healthcare workers to doubt their ability and worth and also lower their self-esteem. As a result of these feelings, healthcare workers may come to resent their professional roles and perform them less adequately.

Increased stress: Though working in the healthcare field typically comes with a significant amount of stress in and of itself, experiencing racial bias from patients can exacerbate these experiences.

Depression: In severe cases, frequent and significant experiences of patients being racially discriminatory can cause healthcare workers to develop symptoms of depression. This can be incredibly discouraging and make it difficult to engage in professional duties.

Poorer work performance: As a result of feeling negatively impacted by instances of racial bias, some healthcare workers may experience a decline in their ability to perform their roles. This can lead to reprimands and, in severe cases, loss of employment.

Though it isn’t a widely discussed issue in healthcare, the effects of racial bias from patients on healthcare workers can be significant. This being the case, it’s clear that organizations should prioritize the mental wellness of healthcare workers and do everything in their power to mitigate instances in which they face racial bias.

Keyways to Combat and Cope with Racial Bias in Healthcare

While it’s disheartening to accept the fact that a significant amount of healthcare workers experience instances of racial bias, there are ways in which these experiences can be mitigated and processed. It’s imperative for organizations to provide healthcare employees with the resources to properly deal with the emotions and mental harm they experience as a result of these types of incidents.

Understanding keyways to overcome these challenges can help healthcare workers improve their mental states and feel better in their professional roles. Some effective ways to combat and cope with racial bias in healthcare include:

Discussing experiences with peers: When incidents involving racial bias occur, it can be incredibly beneficial for healthcare workers to discuss these experiences with their peers. This can help alleviate some feelings of isolation and help victims of racial bias process their emotions.

Reporting incidents to superiors: While it may seem surprising, many incidents of racial bias against healthcare workers go unreported. To help put an end to all instances of racial bias against healthcare professionals, it’s vital that those affected by discrimination report these experiences to superiors in their organization.

Seeing a mental health professional: Often, healthcare workers who experience racial bias or discrimination discount their own experiences and deem them negligible. In reality, these experiences are incredibly significant. As a result, seeking the help of mental health professionals can help healthcare workers process their experiences and reach a state of psychological well-being.

Changing work environments: If instances of racial bias become too frequent and one’s organization refrains from making any meaningful changes, it’s best for healthcare workers to seek a new work environment. Professionals in all industries should never feel scared or anxious about being mistreated for their race when going to work.

Joining a support group: Support groups can be incredibly beneficial for those impacted by racial bias from patients. These groups offer healthcare professionals a space to vent their grievances, connect with others who have had similar experiences, and learn techniques for coping with these disheartening situations.

Starting a DEI committee: Starting a DEI committee is an excellent step in the right direction for healthcare organizations with employees who experience discrimination from patients. These committees can help provide healthcare workers with key resources to combat racism and cope with their emotions.

Ultimately, the responsibility of curbing this significant issue should fall on the shoulders of healthcare organizations that employ healthcare professionals who experience racial bias. According to Nicole Miele, full-time senior lecturer at Regis College for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, “[e]mployers/Organizations need to build and maintain inclusive environments. Employees need to feel safe going to work and not feel anxious, stressed, and/or afraid that they might be mistreated based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.”

As time passes, many in the healthcare industry are hopeful that more organizations will take significant measures to stop discrimination against healthcare employees. The more effective these measures are, the more effective healthcare workers will be in their professional roles.

Racial Bias in Healthcare Delivery Needs to Be Stopped

Though there is currently a plethora of significant issues in the American healthcare system, discrimination against healthcare workers is one that doesn’t get enough attention. With luck, more healthcare companies will start to prioritize their employees in meaningful ways and invest in methods, such as DEI committees and mental health resources, to put an end to racial discrimination in healthcare.