A conceptual map of structural racism in health care
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Furtado, Karishma, author Verdeflor, Alaisha, author Waidmann, Timothy, author
- Contributor(s):
- Health Policy Center (Urban Institute), issuing body. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : Urban Institute, October 2023
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Health Inequities Health Policy Healthcare Disparities Social Determinants of Health Systemic Racism United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in health care experiences and outcomes exist and contribute to inequitable health and life outcomes in the United States. A growing number of empirical studies seek to quantify the role of structural racism in driving health disparities. Recent work by Furtado and colleagues finds three general approaches used in the health literature to directly and indirectly measure structural racism. All the approaches will yield better estimates when researchers have greater clarity about the structures in question and the potential pathways by which they affect health. Policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and communities can use better information about whether and how much specific policies and practices produce health care disparities to make targeted structural changes that will help deliver better health care and health for all. In this brief, we develop a conceptual map of the role of structural racism in health care that demonstrates the connections between (1) mental models that, in often unnoticed ways, guide how society thinks and acts; (2) inequitable structures, including laws and policies that more formally codify the distribution of resources; and (3) racial and ethnic disparities in health care experiences and outcomes. The development of this map is informed by prior literature and stakeholder perspectives. It builds from existing theoretical work linking structural racism to health and, specifically, health care. It also draws on empirical studies of the relationships between structural racism and health, especially those that use the ”multiple proportions” or “index of disproportionality” approach, which relies on an underlying framework that links historical and contemporary variation in policies and practices to measurable differences between groups. Addressing structural racism will require understanding the structures that must be changed to produce equitable health outcomes. This map seeks to provide a conceptual deconstruction of the laws, policies, practices, and norms that lead to health care inequities to identify promising opportunities for continued study, intervention, and resource investment.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (25 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918734183806676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918734183806676