Racial/Ethnic Discrimination in Health Care: Impact on Perceived Quality of Care

TLDR

Racial/ethnic minorities report lower perceived quality of health care, but the factors driving these reports are unclear. The study aims to assess whether perceived discrimination mediates racial disparities in quality ratings and whether this mediation is further influenced by sociodemographic factors, access to care, and satisfaction. Using a cross‑sectional analysis of 36,831 California adults from the 2003 Health Interview Survey, the authors applied multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association between perceived discrimination and perceived quality of care while controlling for patient characteristics and access indicators. African Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders were less likely to rate care highly, and perceived discrimination—most common among African Americans and Hispanics—was negatively associated with quality ratings; discrimination fully explained the lower ratings among African Americans versus whites but not other groups, highlighting its variable role across minorities.

Abstract

Racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to report receipt of lower quality of health care; however, the mediators of such patient reports are not known.To determine (1) whether racial disparities in perceptions of quality of health care are mediated by perceptions of being discriminated against while receiving medical care and (2) whether this association is further mediated by patient sociodemographic characteristics, access to care, and patient satisfaction across racial/ethnic groups.A cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample of California adults responding to the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and perceived quality of health care after adjusting for patient characteristics and reports of access to care.A total of 36,831 respondents were included. African Americans (68.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (64.5%) were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (72.8%) and Hispanics (74.9%) to rate their health care quality highly. African Americans (13.1%) and Hispanics (13.4%) were the most likely to report discrimination, followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders (7.3%) and non-Hispanic whites (2.6%). Racial/ethnic discrimination in health care was negatively associated with ratings of health care quality within each racial/ethnic group, even after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and other indicators of access and satisfaction. Feeling discriminated against fully accounted for the difference in low ratings of quality care between African Americans and whites, but not for other racial/ethnic minorities.Patient perceptions of discrimination may play an important, yet variable role in ratings of health care quality across racial/ethnic minority groups. Health care institutions should consider how to address this patient concern as a part of routine quality improvement.