Although industry stakeholders have released statement with promise Regarding the fight against racism in health care, few people provide clear guidance on reducing the impact of prejudice.

In the JAMA network report The detailed cessation steps of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced this week Medical racism And ways to mitigate the impact of discrimination when it does occur.

Dr. Chyke Doubeni, head of the USPSTF Race and Racism Working Group, said: “Racism increases exposure to risk factors, shortens life expectancy, and increases the burden of disease.” “We also know that it can be resolved. Racism is practical. It’s physiological.”

As first announced earlier this year, the working group is committed to developing a framework to improve clinical preventive services and health outcomes related to health equity.

According to the USPSTF, these are best practices for suppliers to make progress.

1. Identify the problem: Jennifer Lin, director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Evidence-Based Practice, said that the first step is to understand how racism and language promote the health and treatment of people of color.

“Only by knowing what the underlying mechanisms are that lead to differences in health can we begin to reduce and eliminate differences in health,” Lin said.

She said that the center was signed by the USPSTF Overview How to best incorporate health equity into clinical practice guidelines to study how people perceive and define race, ethnicity, and racism.

Part of this includes acknowledging that racism leads to biological consequences and using correct terminology for different races without alienating or demeaning any community.

It also requires providers to understand how racism can cause physical harm through reduced access to employment, housing, and health care, exposure to risk factors, long-term adversity or stress on the physiological system and organs, and racially motivated violence. To affect a person’s health. , Among other things.

2. Carry out research: Dubenni said that the lack of research has hindered progress in tackling racism.

Few studies objectively assess the cultural sensitivity of clinicians in interacting with patients, and studies that provide evidence for improved healthcare generally exclude racial and ethnic minorities.

Therefore, the USPSTF sought help to scan existing literature and data to understand the differences between race and ethnicity, and whether there is evidence that interventions can reduce these differences, Doubeni said.

He said that the working group could then conduct research to evaluate the evidence from different populations and solicit public opinion throughout the process to gain insights on how to improve its methods of overcoming health inequalities.

3. Create a health equity framework: When formulating anti-racism guidelines, certain factors must be considered to ensure that inequities are reduced.

The working group report warned that providers should expect the success rate of certain interventions to vary in populations or environments where access to medical services is difficult due to racism.

4. Join hands: Dubeni said: “Everyone will play a role in their respective fields of work to ensure that healthcare is accessible.”

He said that the working group is currently calling on its partners, including the National Medical Association, the Office of Minority Health of the Ministry of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health, to work together to find high-quality preventive, primary and special care.

5. Implementation plan: Doubeni said the working group will now focus on how to integrate approaches to address systemic racism in the healthcare environment and communicate these guidelines nationwide.

He said that through a series of pilot studies, the working group will test how to apply its framework, starting with recommendations in the areas of screening, behavioral counseling and disease drugs, as well as pediatrics and maternal health.

Different solutions may include culturally tailored lifestyle and self-management interventions, use of community health workers and patient navigators, patient outreach, integration through services, pathways of care, information and communication technology, or professional clinician training To improve access to care.

“For medical institutions, it is important to think outside the traditional medical model and the traditional scope by working more closely with the community, the public and the patients they serve,” Lin said.