Racial Bias in Health Care and Health: Challenges and Opportunities.

Alandmarkreport fromthe InstituteofMedicine (IOM) in2003documented that fromthesimplest to themost technologically advanceddiagnostic and therapeutic interventions,AfricanAmerican (orblack) individuals and those in other minority groups receive fewer procedures and poorer-quality medical care than white individuals.1 Thesedifferencesexistedevenafter statistical adjustment for variations inhealth insurance, stage and severity of disease, income or education, comorbiddisease, and the typeofhealth care facility.Very limitedprogresshasbeenmade inreducingracial/ethnicdisparities in the quality and intensity of care.2 The IOM report concluded thatmultiple factors contribute to racial disparities inmedical careand thatunconsciousbias byhealthcareprofessionals contributes todeficits in the quality of care. This Viewpoint discusses the potential contributionof societal racial bias todisparities inhealth care and health status.