You have a certain expectation in your head that after 4 years of undergrad and 3 to 7 years of residency experience the doctor will be able to help you. However, this is not always the case for black men in America.
Black men have the lowest life expectancy for any ethnic group in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results come from high incarceration rates and health care access, but black men struggle with receiving preventive care even before they are sick. According to a study, a large reason for this is because of the lack of patient-doctor communication. The study shows that black male patients are more likely to discuss their problems with black doctors, and black doctors are more likely to write additional observations about black patients.
Twitter user @Oga_DoctorBlue, who happens to be a black doctor, took it to the social network to write about this serious problem. He explained an exchange he had with a black patient recently, which highlights exactly why diversity in the medical field is necessary. The doctor was able to identify the patient’s facial expressions and code-switch in order to meet the man’s needs and to better communicate. The number of black men applicants in medical schools has remained stagnant even with the increased efforts for diversity in some schools. Check out the important thread below, and tell us what you think in the comments!
An Imgur user who shared the thread explained just how the diversity lesson applied to other fields as well, for example, teaching.
People were thankful to the user for writing the thread, and shared other forms of diversity that are lacking.
