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Are Clinicians Contributing to Excess African American COVID-19 Deaths? Unbeknownst to Them, They May Be

Adam J Milam1,2, Debra Furr-Holden1,2, Jennifer Edwards-Johnson1

  • 1Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Flint, Michigan, USA.

Health Equity
|May 6, 2020
PubMed

Insights

African Americans face higher coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rates and deaths due to comorbidities and potential implicit biases. Addressing this requires a health equity approach and disaggregated data for at-risk populations.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Health Equity
  • Racial Disparities in Healthcare

Background:

  • African Americans experience disproportionately high rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and fatalities.
  • While comorbidities contribute to these disparities, systemic and structural factors remain under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential role of implicit biases in exacerbating racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes.
  • To advocate for a health equity lens and data disaggregation to address these disparities.

Main Methods:

  • This study is a conceptual analysis and literature review.
  • It synthesizes existing data on COVID-19 outcomes among African Americans.
  • It examines the intersection of race, health disparities, and potential implicit bias in healthcare.

Main Results:

  • Individual factors like comorbidities are insufficient to explain the full extent of COVID-19 disparities.
  • Systemic factors, including potential implicit biases within the healthcare system, are hypothesized to significantly contribute.

Conclusions:

  • Implicit biases may play a crucial role in the racial disparity of COVID-19 outcomes.
  • A health equity approach necessitates disaggregating data for African Americans and other vulnerable groups to identify and mitigate biased treatment.

Keywords:
African Americanhealth inequitiesimplicit bias

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