STAT News: In counties with more Black doctors, Black people live longer, ‘astonishing’ study finds

[ahimsa]

In counties with more Black doctors, Black people live longer, ‘astonishing’ study finds

https://www.statnews.com/2023/04/14/black-doctors-primary-care-life-expectancy-mortality/

Black people in counties with more Black primary care physicians live longer, according to a new national analysis that provides the strongest evidence yet that increasing the diversity of the medical workforce may be key to ending deeply entrenched racial health disparities.

The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, is the first to link a higher prevalence of Black doctors to longer life expectancy and lower mortality in Black populations. Other studies have shown that when Black patients are treated by Black doctors, they are more satisfied with their health care, more likely to have received the preventive care they needed in the past year, and are more likely to agree to recommended preventive care such as blood tests and flu shots. But none of that research has shown an impact on Black life expectancy.

The new study found that Black residents in counties with more Black physicians — whether or not they actually see those doctors — had lower mortality from all causes, and showed that these counties had lower disparities in mortality rates between Black and white residents. The finding of longer life expectancy persisted even in counties with a single Black physician.

 

[Kitty]

Sadly not surprising in the least, I guess the same might be found in other countries too. It's not only treating physicians who need to reflect communities, it's the senior ones with the most influence on local and regional policy too.

 

[rvallee]

It's not nearly said often enough that health is political, healthcare is political, and medicine is political.

Almost everything important is political, but healthcare especially so. Particularly in our case, where what we need is in direct conflict with what healthcare systems want to do.

 

[bobbler]

Yep there is a critical mass issue of making sure it isn’t only the compliant few there in the basis of that implicit not rocking the boat. Ie they have a voice and can input their knowledge which is more relevant than those who can’t relate to the patient as closely.

I do think ME needs to sort out its issue of patient driven input - and it being those who’ve been severe, don’t claim miracle recovery if a business in something and have had it long enough through enough experiences.

How is it in this day and age some organisations and institutions are allowed to still be so thick and ignorant that they don’t realise you can’t hire a non-disabled to lecture someone eg with CP on how to manage their life better. A non-wheelchair user deciding on how to make a building accessible rather than asking the colleague who uses a wheelchair to take on that direction of that with the other person only providing admin to that.

Even if you did give em a few hours training how arrogant would you have to be if you didn’t say ‘where the heck is this expertise I’m being told coming from’

there are sadly just too many things people don’t see are cultural and precedent and not ‘science’ until the world around them clears and everyone next to you isn’t looking at the broken lift minimising it’s impact like ad populous emperors new clothes. I’ve seen it happen 5 people look at something that is plain as day and 4 of them convince each other it’s smaller than snd less impactful than it is based on their own self interest and bias and assumptions.

Not enough of THAT expectation effect getting dragged out if proper scientific psychology annals but it matters.

 

[Arnie Pye]

I can well believe the title. I just wish that more female doctors led to better treatment for female patients.

 

[bobbler]

I can well believe the title. I just wish that more female doctors led to better treatment for female patients.

well of course that process is another source. women like them might find themselves (other female and male doctors) incredibly well served


Scraping out anyone who’s had misfortune health wise systematically through the med school app and the training process means it isn’t either a representative selection of women OR of people who would talk to representative selection of women. And they are all told to think it was just their talent and hard work that puts them in that side of the medical encounter

weirdest thing ever that we have a profession that doesn’t want those who are experts in the condition driving those who fonts learning of it and making all the adjustments to ensure that happens. But instead using working hours and attitude etc to make sure certain conditions‘ and demographics knowledge and empathy (which is also top level knowledge and skill -probably superior in importance and talent required to some other skills they value - even AI is picking up this is one of the least replaceable talents- , not the misnomer certain professions seem to think of it as just ‘softie faux nice’ but then they would if they hire lots of people without it and want to pretend and belittle it as a feminine skill’) will never be represented

the strange thing is how easily fixed it could be if they let in the pros who do this stuff for designing appropriate course admissions and running policies and design, culture in training, pipeline and so on from any other area that isn’t medicine. Or maybe there are still one of two other areas but I don’t think it is a end-to-end and through-and-through issue to the same level (even law has strong schemes, different chambers and paths and course types etc )

 

[Mithriel]

The results can also indicate that in places where it is possible for black people to become doctors there are better health outcomes for all black people. Better quality education is a good place to start and then making it possible for poorer people to go on to higher education.