More than 65 million people in the US identified are Hispanic or Latino in 2023, according to US Census Bureau data, making up over 19% of the total population.
But the medical community doesn’t reflect that diversity. Though enrollment for minority students in medical school is increasing, the Association of American Medical Colleges reported that just under 7% of physicians identified as “Hispanic (alone or with any race)” in 2021.
Medical schools and healthcare centers are increasingly prioritizing cultural competency training, but it’s not clear if these efforts are mitigating health disparities. There are few studies and no established “best practices” for improving cultural sensitivity, a 2020 review funded by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis found. Meanwhile, about half of Hispanic or Latino patients said they’ve had negative healthcare experiences, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center report.
To tackle disparate care, Latino and Hispanic doctors and community leaders said that is important to have representation in medicine and provide patients with a healthcare professional who speaks their language and respects their culture. These shifts can make patients feel more comfortable and help them articulate their needs, improving their experience and outcomes, according to a 2022 study from the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
“Among the benefits that a shared background or shared heritage can end up helping with [are] language, forms of communication, recognizing forms of stigma,” Reno, Nevada-based pediatrician and American Academy of Pediatrics fellow Jose Cucalon Calderon said.
Shared heritage helps. Cucalon Calderon, who speaks Spanish and is originally from Ecuador, has seen the difference his background makes in the care he can provide, particularly when it comes to discussing mental health with patients and families.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that Hispanic and Latino patients are less likely to access behavioral health care due to systemic barriers, lack of culturally sensitive providers, and stigma. In 2022, Hispanic and Latino adults were 60% less likely to have had mental health care than non-Hispanic or Latino adults, according to the Office of Minority Health.
Latinas in medicine experience high rates of discrimination throughout medical training
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