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Patient Doesn’t Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows ‘Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine’

When you meet with your doctor you have a certain expectation in your head, that after 4 years of undergrad and 3-7 years of residency experience this person will be able to help me. But for black men in America, this is not always the case.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention black men have the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in the United States. The reasons vary from high incarceration rates to barriers to medical care access, but even before they are sick black men struggle with receiving preventative care. One study shows that a large reason for this chasm in service is due to a lack of good communication between a patient and the doctor. Black male patients are more likely to discuss their problems and concerns with black doctors and, black doctors are more likely to write additional observations about their black patients.

A black doctor took to write about this serious problem in a Twitter thread. He explained in detail an exchange he had with a black patient, which highlighted exactly why diversity in the medical field is so necessary. The user, @Oga_DoctorBlue was able to identify his patient’s facial expressions and code-switch (the “process of shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting”) in order to better communicate and meet the man’s needs.

Even with increased efforts for diversity in some schools, the numbers for black men applicants in medical school has remained stagnant since 1978.

Scroll down below to read this very important thread and let us know your thoughts in the comments! (Cover image: sixoone)

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Oga_DoctorBlue

The user that shared the thread on Imgur explained how this diversity lesson applied to other fields like teaching

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

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Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

People in the comments were thankful for the thread and shared other forms of diversity that is lacking

Image credits: CoachPrawn

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Jeanjeanniepa

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: Helene_SWCP

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: AShettle

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: flamingginge

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: KimTruthMatters

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

Image credits: KimTruthMatters

Patient Doesn't Understand His Diagnosis Until Black Doctor Steps In, Shows 'Why We Need More Black Men In Medicine'

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Doodlebug 6 years ago

Here in Canada, we desperately need indigenous (Native) doctors, AND nurses, AND other medical staff. The way indigenous Canadians are STILL being treated by people the health care system is horrific. In my region, we have a doctor shortage problem. Yet the last 10 times I have heard about a new doctor moving here, they are a white South African doctor who can afford to buy a practice from a retiring doctor. And yes, many of do them bring their colonialist attitudes. The problem is - how do you get people into medical school when their poverty is so great? Seems like only well-off people can afford to even dream about being a doctor one day.

23points

Dr. Pink Unicorn 6 years ago (edited)

There has to be a will, and a way... and a dream of something else. I'm a young Black woman, I was raised FAR below the poverty level, I'm the first in my family to go to college and the first to make it to grad/med school. I'm an OT student, and it's taken 200,000.00+ in loans for me to do it. It was a risk, a huge cost-benefit analysis, but I did it. Hopefully, I can inspire future Med professionals w/o the debt looming over their heads.

2points

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Lara L. 6 years ago

If I am not misstaken it is a problem all over the world: finding doctors for rural areas and small villiages far away from big cities. In my country we have a "family doctor"- shortage- because almost all medicine students want to have a sucessful career and stay in the cities to be close to universities etc.

2points

Viviane Katz 6 years ago

Scholarships for indigenous students would be great. I don't know if medical students get any education in intercultural communication. Years ago, when I worked as a census taker, we received tips on dealing with newcomers to Canada: don't treat it like a big deal. As I went door to door, I would explain, "This is something we do in Canada -- we count people every five years." It worked like a charm.

2points

KT Trondsen 6 years ago

Dont talk about things you have zero clue about. If you're native you grt preferential placement in universitt, you get a ton of free cash to buy a home while you go to school. My husbands cousin is native and is now a physician. Becoming a doctor is about thr desire to be one, you're just making pathetic white blaming excuses.

-1point

Carol Harrison 6 years ago

I see a wonderful doctor. She is a woman of color, I am white. When we talk, there is no difference in how we communicate. I was in the waiting room when she greeted her next patient, another woman of color. The doctor's entire demeanor changed. She said "Hey girl" and continued a conversation with a very different tone. I actually loved that she adapted to who she was with. I don't know which one was the real her, but I think it was both.

15points

$copper-fractions avatar$

Tiny Dynamine 6 years ago

Here's the fundamental error in this story: People are assuming that they have to share some traits with their doctor to ensure they are taken notice of. What is actually true is that you need the right doctor that properly cares about people's problems, which has absolutely nothing to do with their colour, gender, sexuality or whatever.

10points

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