Key TakeawaysA recent study suggests patients are more likely to rate their physicians higher when they see physicians of their own race or ethnicity.One possible reason for these racial biases may stem from the fact that patients and doctors of the same race communicate with each other better, as previous research suggests.To improve the differences in patient experience ratings, some researchers believe bias training for physicians can help them be better prepared to care for a more diverse patient population.

Key Takeaways

A recent study suggests patients are more likely to rate their physicians higher when they see physicians of their own race or ethnicity.One possible reason for these racial biases may stem from the fact that patients and doctors of the same race communicate with each other better, as previous research suggests.To improve the differences in patient experience ratings, some researchers believe bias training for physicians can help them be better prepared to care for a more diverse patient population.

A new study is shedding light on how some patients rate doctors of the same race or ethnicity.

Researchers at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia found patients who shared the same racial or ethnic backgrounds as their physicians were more likely to give them the maximum patient rating score. The results may suggest how racial and ethnic similarities can affect patient-physician interactions.

The surveys were conducted between July 2014 and May 2017. Patients were asked to answer questions on six different topics: access, moving through the visit, nurse/assistant, care provider, personal issues, and overall assessment. Patients were directed to rate their experience in each category from one (very poor) to five (very good).

For the question “Likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others,” researchers found patients gave the maximum score to 87.6% of doctors who came from racially/ethnically concordant patient-physician pairs. Among physicians form discordant pairs, 82.1% received the maximum score.

It’s worth noting that no associations were found between gender concordance and physician ratings.

What This Means For YouPatients may favor doctors of their own race or ethnicity, according to research that draws on feedback from patient-surveys. While science hasn’t definitively proven all the possible benefits of seeing a doctor who shares the same race or ethnicity as you (like better health outcomes), experts worry that these kinds of racial biases can affect healthcare delivery, especially to some populations that may not have the option of choosing a physician of the same race or ethnicity.

What This Means For You

Patients may favor doctors of their own race or ethnicity, according to research that draws on feedback from patient-surveys. While science hasn’t definitively proven all the possible benefits of seeing a doctor who shares the same race or ethnicity as you (like better health outcomes), experts worry that these kinds of racial biases can affect healthcare delivery, especially to some populations that may not have the option of choosing a physician of the same race or ethnicity.

Is Bias a Bad Thing?

Although these findings point to implicit biases, the study authors don’t believe their results are necessarily a bad thing for the future of patient-physician relationships.

“If we can understand what patients like and don’t like about their interactions with their physicians, then we will be able to make more targeted improvements in healthcare delivery, which I see as a good thing,” the study’s corresponding authorJunko Takeshita, MD, PhD, MSCE, an assistant professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, tells Verywell.

The Doctor-Patient Relationship

“The doctor-patient relationship is a complex one and it is important to try to understand all of the elements that contribute to the patient experience,” study senior author Deirdre Sawinski, MD, an associate professor of Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension in the Perelman School of Medicine, tells Verywell.

More research in this area needs to be done to fully understand the effects this kind of racial interrelationship has on healthcare delivery and health outcomes. But from the standpoint of patient preference, some minority patients may find it more difficult to access a physician of their preferred race/ethnicity “due to a general lack of diversity among the physician workforce,” Takeshita says.

A 2019 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)reportstated most active physicians were White (56.2%) and male (64.1%).

Rachel R. Hardeman, PhD, MPH

Rachel R. Hardeman, PhD, MPH, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, has done her own research that found physician-infant racial concordance keeps many Black infants from dying. She tells Verywell the Penn Medicine study offers an important opportunity to reexamine racial disparities in health care.

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Takeshita believes one of the reasons why these racial imbalances were found in her study may come from the fact that patients and doctors of the same race tend to communicate with each other better, like some prior studies have indicated.

“I don’t think this means that trust, communication, and health care cannot be good between racially/ethnically discordant patient-physician pairs," Takeshita says. “But our data seems to suggest that there is something different that is occurring during concordant interactions that we need to better understand and make sure is happening among all patient-physician interactions.”

To help chip away at these differences in patient experience ratings, Takeshita and her team suggest the following actions:

5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Takeshita J, Wang S, Loren AW, et al.Association of racial/ethnic and gender concordance between patients and physicians with patient experience ratings.JAMA Netw Open.2020;3(11):e2024583. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24583Anderson SR, Gianola M, Perry JM, Losin EAR.Clinician–patient racial/ethnic concordance influences racial/ethnic minority pain: evidence from simulated clinical interactions.Pain Medicine. pnaa258. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa258Meghani SH, Brooks JM, Gipson-Jones T, Waite R, Whitfield-Harris L, Deatrick JA.Patient-provider race-concordance: does it matter in improving minority patients' health outcomes?Ethn Health. 2009;14(1):107-130. doi:10.1080/13557850802227031Greenwood BN, Hardeman RR, Huang L, Sojourner A.Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020;117(35):21194-21200. doi:10.1073/pnas.1913405117Shen MJ, Peterson EB,, Costas-Muñiz R. et al.The effects of race and racial concordance on patient-physician communication: A systematic review of the literature.J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities5, 117–140 (2018). doi.org:10.1007/s40615-017-0350-4

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Takeshita J, Wang S, Loren AW, et al.Association of racial/ethnic and gender concordance between patients and physicians with patient experience ratings.JAMA Netw Open.2020;3(11):e2024583. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24583Anderson SR, Gianola M, Perry JM, Losin EAR.Clinician–patient racial/ethnic concordance influences racial/ethnic minority pain: evidence from simulated clinical interactions.Pain Medicine. pnaa258. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa258Meghani SH, Brooks JM, Gipson-Jones T, Waite R, Whitfield-Harris L, Deatrick JA.Patient-provider race-concordance: does it matter in improving minority patients' health outcomes?Ethn Health. 2009;14(1):107-130. doi:10.1080/13557850802227031Greenwood BN, Hardeman RR, Huang L, Sojourner A.Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020;117(35):21194-21200. doi:10.1073/pnas.1913405117Shen MJ, Peterson EB,, Costas-Muñiz R. et al.The effects of race and racial concordance on patient-physician communication: A systematic review of the literature.J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities5, 117–140 (2018). doi.org:10.1007/s40615-017-0350-4

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Takeshita J, Wang S, Loren AW, et al.Association of racial/ethnic and gender concordance between patients and physicians with patient experience ratings.JAMA Netw Open.2020;3(11):e2024583. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24583Anderson SR, Gianola M, Perry JM, Losin EAR.Clinician–patient racial/ethnic concordance influences racial/ethnic minority pain: evidence from simulated clinical interactions.Pain Medicine. pnaa258. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa258Meghani SH, Brooks JM, Gipson-Jones T, Waite R, Whitfield-Harris L, Deatrick JA.Patient-provider race-concordance: does it matter in improving minority patients' health outcomes?Ethn Health. 2009;14(1):107-130. doi:10.1080/13557850802227031Greenwood BN, Hardeman RR, Huang L, Sojourner A.Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020;117(35):21194-21200. doi:10.1073/pnas.1913405117Shen MJ, Peterson EB,, Costas-Muñiz R. et al.The effects of race and racial concordance on patient-physician communication: A systematic review of the literature.J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities5, 117–140 (2018). doi.org:10.1007/s40615-017-0350-4

Takeshita J, Wang S, Loren AW, et al.Association of racial/ethnic and gender concordance between patients and physicians with patient experience ratings.JAMA Netw Open.2020;3(11):e2024583. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24583

Anderson SR, Gianola M, Perry JM, Losin EAR.Clinician–patient racial/ethnic concordance influences racial/ethnic minority pain: evidence from simulated clinical interactions.Pain Medicine. pnaa258. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa258

Meghani SH, Brooks JM, Gipson-Jones T, Waite R, Whitfield-Harris L, Deatrick JA.Patient-provider race-concordance: does it matter in improving minority patients' health outcomes?Ethn Health. 2009;14(1):107-130. doi:10.1080/13557850802227031

Greenwood BN, Hardeman RR, Huang L, Sojourner A.Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020;117(35):21194-21200. doi:10.1073/pnas.1913405117

Shen MJ, Peterson EB,, Costas-Muñiz R. et al.The effects of race and racial concordance on patient-physician communication: A systematic review of the literature.J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities5, 117–140 (2018). doi.org:10.1007/s40615-017-0350-4

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