Patient-Perceived Physician Bias in Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating and understudied inflammatory skin disease that disproportionately impacts Black Americans. The objective of this study was to explore the role that race and ethnicity may play in HS patients' perceptions of physician bias and their care quality. We administered a cross-sectional anonymous online survey to individuals with HS from June 13 to 30, 2021. Items from the Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health Care Quality Survey were employed to evaluate whether participants felt they were judged based on their race or ethnicity. Data was analyzed utilizing the test of equal or given proportions for assessing statistical significance with a threshold p-value < 0.05. The survey received a total of 1040 responses. The cohort was majority female and racially and ethnically diverse, with participants from six continents. Overall, 15.2% (136/894) of respondents reported feeling that they would receive better care if they were of a different race/ethnicity, and 13.6% (122/894) felt their primary HS provider treated them unfairly based on their race. Participants who belonged to minority groups more often reported feeling that they would receive better medical care if they were of a different race/ethnicity and felt that they were treated unfairly due to their race/ethnicity compared to White participants. These findings highlight the need to better understand the complex systemic and interpersonal factors at play in interactions between HS patients and healthcare providers to ensure that patients can receive much-needed care.