The Lupus Foundation of America (Foundation) is dedicated to doing its part to end systemic racism in the health care system and beyond. The Foundation has a unique role in this work because lupus disproportionately impacts women of color, particularly Black women, and the implicit and explicit bias within the health care system may prevent them from receiving a timely diagnosis and the best care possible.

To change this reality, the Lupus Foundation of America has launched #RevealTheGap, an effort designed to highlight the disparities in health care treatment and outcomes for people and communities of color. Our goals are to:

1. Strengthen awareness of racial bias in health care against communities of color
2. Build patient empowerment through tools and resources
3. Increase and improve the quality of care among minorities with lupus
4. Increase the rates of preventive health care services for minority communities
5. Advance health care provider education to end racial and ethnic bias through tools and resources

#RevealTheGap is also a call to action to work together to eliminate these disparities and create a better future for people with lupus.

Facts and Statistics About Systemic Racism in Health Care

Race and ethnicity plays an important role in health outcomes. A recent study found that racial and ethnic minorities are subject to less accurate diagnoses, reduced treatment and pain management options, and worse clinical outcomes.¹ Another recent study found that Black patients were 40% less likely to receive medication for pain compared to white patients.²

Systemic racism in all of its forms is at the heart of this disturbing reality. Communities of color struggle with a number of socioeconomic factors that contribute to poorer health outcomes, including on-average lower incomes and rates of health insurance coverage which can affect access to the health care system. Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Hispanics are at the highest risk of being uninsured. Higher uninsured rates among groups of color reflect, in part, their more limited access to affordable coverage options.³

But communities of color also face bias within the health care system and can receive lower quality of care as a result. Health care professionals exhibit the same levels of implicit bias as the general population. These biases are likely to influence diagnosis, treatment decisions, and levels of care.⁴ A recent study found that Black patients are provided with better care when they see Black doctors. But African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population and only 4% of current physicians.⁵

Although it will take sustained systemic change to eliminate bias in the health care system, the information and tools listed below can help people with lupus and their health care providers learn more about bias, understand its impact, and feel empowered to address it.

Resources for People with Lupus

Resources for Health Care Professionals

• How Doctors Can Confront Implicit Bias and Systemic Racism

Watch the below video for a virtual panel discussion with health care professionals and BIPOC individuals with lupus to learn more about racial bias in health care, the impact it has on minority and vulnerable communities and how to improve it.

For more information on the ways the Lupus Foundation of America is committed to this fight, read CEO Stevan Gibson’s message of solidarity to the Black Community and the Foundation Juneteenth message, and search #RevealTheGap on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Citations

¹ Chapman, E. N., Kaatz, A., & Carnes, M. (2013). Physicians and Implicit Bias: How Doctors May Unwittingly Perpetuate Health Care Disparities. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 28(11), 1504–1510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-013-2441-1 

² Lee, P., Le Saux, M., Siegel, R., Goyal, M., Chen, C., Ma, Y., & Meltzer, A. C. (2019). Racial and ethnic disparities in the management of acute pain in US emergency departments: Meta-analysis and systematic review. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 37(9), 1770–1777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2019.06.014 

³ Artiga, S., & Orgera, K. (2020, March 5). Changes in Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity since the ACA, 2010-2018. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/changes-in-health-coverage-by-race-and-ethnicity-since-the-aca-2010-2018/ 

⁴ FitzGerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Medical Ethics, 18(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8 

⁵ Alsan, M., Garrick, O., & Graziani, G. (2019). Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland. American Economic Review, 109(12), 4071–4111. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20181446