Abstract
In this chapter, we will explore a case involving an adult male who presents to the emergency department with foot pain, a history of diabetes mellitus, and poor compliance with medications. He relies on emergency rooms for his usual source of care and reports financial barriers to accessing care. His physical exam reveals cellulitis, and lab results reflect poorly controlled diabetes. By the conclusion of the case discussion, learners will be able to describe the ways in which socioeconomic status and health are interrelated; analyze the ways that race affects health, including the role of unconscious (implicit) bias from health care providers; and explain how the current system of health care finance impacts health outcomes.
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Further Reading on this Topic
Coates T. Between the world and me. New York: Spiegel & Grau; 2015.
Hoffman KM, Trawalter S, Axt JR, Oliver MN. Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2016:201516047.
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Tweedy D. Black man in a white coat: a doctor’s reflections on race and medicine. New York: Picador; 2016.
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Wojtowycz, M.A., Malik, A.A. (2019). “I Have a Touch of Sugar but I Can’t Afford My Meds”. In: Caruso Brown, A., Hobart, T., Morrow, C. (eds) Bioethics, Public Health, and the Social Sciences for the Medical Professions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03544-0_8
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