Our group focused on inequality in health care. The survey we conducted, explored awareness and personal experiences in health care inequality. Initially, our group researched different aspects of inequality in health care, such as gender, income, race, and sexual orientation. The decision to research these groups were influenced by Iris Young's "Five Faces of Oppression," and her categorization of common oppressed groups: among others, women, Blacks, lesbians and gay men, working-class people and more (Young 50). Background research showed consistent data on the existence of healthcare inequality. Learning that healthcare inequality is well documented; our group conducted a survey to see personal experiences involving inequality in healthcare. We wanted to know if personal experiences matched with the data. By comparing known studies and our survey data, we were able to make some correlations to the awareness level of healthcare inequality
Our initial hypothesis was that these groups experienced inequality when it comes to healthcare and that such oppression is detrimental to their well-being. The background research proved our hypothesis to be true for each of the groups mentioned. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed "... gender inequality still occurs in the medical field. Women, unfortunately, do not attain promotions to leadership roles at the same rate as their male peers in the medical field" (Nonnemaker 404). The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found "research suggests patients from minority groups have higher mortality than white patients following trauma. Studies have also shown that disparities in trauma are associated with insurance coverage and socioeconomic status" (Haider, Adil H et al. 1196). "Discrimination is widely experienced by LGBTQ adults across health care and other domains, especially among racial/ethnic minorities. Few surveys have documented LGBTQ people's personal experiences of discrimination using national data" (Casey 1454,55).
A study published in Health Affairs detailed "a survey of 3,159 adults age eighteen or older found that 59 percent of Americans in 2010 were aware of racial and ethnic disparities that disproportionately affect African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos. 89 percent of African American respondents were aware of African American and white disparities, versus 55 percent of whites. Yet the survey also revealed low levels of awareness among racial and ethnic minority groups about disparities that disproportionately affect their own communities. Documented disparities exist in the United States between the majority white population and various racial and ethnic minority populations on several health and health care indicators, including access to and quality of care, disease prevalence, infant mortality, and life expectancy" (Benz 1860). The information learned from this study lead us to conduct our own research into awareness of inequality in health care.
Our research obtained both quantitative and qualitative data, where respondents wrote about personal experiences. Background research from multiple sources showed a high prevalence of inequality in healthcare, which effected patients and providers alike. We learned that inequality in healthcare can lead to misdiagnoses, maltreatment, and in some cases death. For those that provide health care; inequality and biases can lead to discrimination in pay and advancement in the field of medicine. By combining background research on healthcare inequality and the lack of awareness of this topic; we hope to increase the level of awareness on the issue of inequality in healthcare and encourage discussion for positive change.