Academic Study Finds Racial Differences in How Doctors Converse With HIV Patients

AIDSJourA new study led by researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, finds that healthcare providers do not communicate in the same way with White and minority patients with HIV. Researchers recorded communications between 45 doctors and nurse practitioners and more than 400 HIV/AIDS patients.

The results showed that healthcare providers talked about strict adherence to a drug regimen with Black patients more so than they did with White patients, regardless of whether there had been a problem with sticking to the regimen. M. Barton Laws, assistant professor of health services policy and practice in the School of Public Health at Brown University and the lead author of the study, stated, “The possibility that seems most compelling to me is the doctors don’t trust their Black and Hispanic patients as much to be adherent.”

The results also showed that healthcare providers were more likely to provide directives to minority patients than to White patients. Black patients generally spoke less to their healthcare providers than did Whites and there was less humor in the discussions with Black patients.

“We’ve found there is something going on here,” said Dr. Laws. “And it would be good to understand it better.”

The study, “Provider-Patient Adherence Dialogue in HIV Care: Results of a Multisite Study,” was published on the website of the journal AIDS and Behavior. It may be accessed here.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs