Critical Phenomenological Inquiry on the Experiences of Black Primary Care Physicians in the US

Literature on racism suggests that Black physicians are acutely aware of how systemic racism influences the health and quality of care of their patients while being targets of that same racism. In other words, they are both observers and recipients of how systemic racism permeates US medicine. Yet, there exists no phenomenological inquiry which centers their experience to make known the systemic depth of racism on the experiences of Black primary care physicians. The goal of this study was to understand the lived experiences of Black primary care physicians and their perspectives on racism. We conducted a qualitative study based on hermeneutic phenomenology to examine the lived experiences of Black primary care physicians and their perspectives for advancing anti-racist actions in US medicine. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit primary care physicians identifying as Black or African American. In-depth, semi-structured interviews of one-hour duration were conducted virtually. A six-stage data analysis process for hermeneutic phenomenology was followed to convey their lived experiences. This study yielded a rich description of lived experiences of Black primary care physicians in the US and provides insights into participants' ambition to pursue medicine as a career path as well as past and current experiences in practicing medicine. This description culminated in recommendations that the medical community can act upon to address the legacy of racism across the continuum of medical education to practice.