The Issue of Stereotypes in Healthcare

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Definitions
The Impact of Stereotyping
Strategies to Promote Inclusivity
Reflection on Self-Awareness and Resilience
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Stereotypes are a challenging problem because they can have significant ethical consequences, prompting health practitioners to treat their patients unjustly and inequitably. According to Puddifoot (2019), growing psychological literature demonstrates that implicit biases impact clinical judgment and decision-making in health practitioners. Unconscious biases are accidental links between members of specific social groups, such as racial, gender, and social, and particular attributes, such as laziness, selfishness, or athleticism (Puddifoot, 2019). When automatic stereotyping happens due to implicit bias, persons are associated with specific attributes based on their social group membership instead of individual qualities.

Social scientists think that preconceptions and stereotypes begin to form in infants. For instance, many studies have emphasized that children as young as three years old remember the terminology of racial discrimination without fully comprehending its meaning (Stereotypes and prejudice, 2022). Stigma and bias can also exacerbate someone’s mental health issues and delay or prevent them from seeking care. Social isolation, substandard housing, and unemployment may be caused by mental problems resulting from someone being discriminated against (Stigma and discrimination, 2021). People may be stigmatized for more than one reason, such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. As a result, the paper focuses on stereotypes in healthcare since bias and discrimination can imprison people in a cycle of illness.

Definitions

Before discussing the impact of stereotyping on healthcare, it is vital to provide definitions. Bandyopadhyay et al. (2022) state that stereotypes are oversimplified views that reduce all group members to a single trait or description. For instance, preconceptions highlight a person’s similarities with people in their ‘in’-group while emphasizing contrasts with those who are not. Stereotyping’s societal impact may be better understood in connection to cognitive processes, particularly those linked to the unconscious processing of information (Bandyopadhyay et al., 2022). Humans intuitively stereotype and categorize people based on demographic features because they create mental shortcuts. This process assists individuals in handling the enormous cognitive work and time necessary to integrate and analyze the continual streams of data around them (Bandyopadhyay et al., 2022). Nonetheless, stereotypes prioritize generalization over individualization and can, thus, lead to discrimination.

Consequently, stereotypes are frequently associated with a biased perception of an individual. Based on the Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.), a stereotype is a fixed concept that individuals have about what a person or thing is like, particularly a false idea, such as racial or sexual preconceptions. Similarly, Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries (n.d.) define stereotype as a preconceived concept or image that many individuals have regarding a person or item that is frequently inaccurate in reality and can cause hurt and offense. Birkelund et al. (2020) emphasize that stereotypes are more challenging to overcome when deeply established and taken for granted. Hence, it is less complicated to change someone’s preconception when stereotypes are weaker. Humans might be defined as Homo Stereotypus, an animal susceptible to bias, stereotyping, and discrimination but with the ability to transcend these flaws if motivated (Birkelund et al., 2020). Moreover, people are more prone to depend on broad assumptions about group traits drawn from media or other sources when they have no experience with individuals from specific groups.

The Impact of Stereotyping

Stereotyping has a negative impact on a patient’s physical and mental health, individual health choices, and access to healthcare. Carlile (2019) argues that transgender and non-binary children and young people, as well as their parents, are underserved in various healthcare settings in England. While UK equalities legislation and international recommendations on transgender healthcare routes guarantee and require a positive attitude, services in England are falling behind (Carlile, 2019). Based on the research, parents and children’s or young people expressed unhappiness, aggravation, and distress with the healthcare providers. Families perceived many practitioners as being under-trained and, as a result, lacking enough understanding of relevant clinical research (Carlile, 2019). Additionally, research participants shared their unpleasant misgendering experiences, which they blamed on a lack of gender identity training among clinical professionals.

A lack of healthcare workers’ education about the transgender group resulted in gender stereotypes and inadequate treatment. Carlile (2019) demonstrated an example of a young transgender woman arriving for a consultation wearing jeans and sneakers. The practitioner regarded her as not serious enough to require assistance for therapeutic intervention. Both parents and children reported little or nominal effort to integrate their perspectives in treatment planning and service delivery (Carlile, 2019). Moreover, there was a lack of collaboration amongst healthcare workers, parents, and schools of trans and non-binary children obtaining healthcare services.

Labels make people feel terrible about themselves, and this transfers into how they perceive society accepts them. McGlynn et al. (2019) claim that discrimination substantially influences LGBTI people’s mental and physical health outcomes, resulting in considerable health inequities and their experiences with and access to healthcare systems. For instance, LGBTI individuals have a much greater risk of poor mental health than the overall population, including a higher prevalence of suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, anxiety, and intentional self-harm. McGlynn et al. (2019) acknowledge that the group’s experiences demonstrate that they did, in fact, fear prejudice and perceived it as a barrier to receiving treatment. A lack of LGBTI issues training resulted in critical and potentially life-threatening circumstances for LGBTI patients and significant anxiety and stress for well-intentioned healthcare personnel (McGlynn et al., 2019). Moreover, because of the seeming incomprehensibility of LGBTI patients’ lack of openness with healthcare personnel, self-stigma was invoked, resulting in a wrong perception of how society accepts them.

Stereotyping impacts people’s vulnerability through their behaviors or the actions of others, raising worries about their safety. Stereotypes about who may develop an eating disorder discourage BAME, LGBTQ+, and those from lower-income families from seeking and receiving medical care (Beat Eating Disorders, n.d.). According to a YouGov research commissioned by Beat Eating Disorders (n.d.), nearly four in ten or thirty-nine percent of respondents assume that eating disorders are more widespread among white people than other races. Despite this, clinical research has revealed that the diseases are equally as prevalent, if not more common, among BAME than white people. Because of this common misperception, eating problems among BAME individuals frequently go undiagnosed (Beat Eating Disorders, n.d.). BAME persons are less likely than white people to seek professional care for an eating disorder. Nevertheless, this condition is a significant mental disease afflicts people of various ages, ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds.

People from marginalized groups frequently become insecure, hesitant, and unconfident in seeking medical assistance. According to Beat Eating Disorders (n.d.), one patient with bulimia claimed he faced two strong stereotypes: that because he was male and from a BAME heritage, he would not be impacted by an eating disorder. The patient indicated that many like him are reluctant to seek treatment for eating disorders because it is taboo in their communities. Another patient from the LGBTQ+ community stated that when he tried to explain his binge eating disorder, he discovered that people assumed gay men were all muscular or slim (Beat Eating Disorders, n.d.). He wanted people to understand and avoid stereotypes, but they did not take his disease seriously. Thus, it is critical to encourage everyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, to feel safe receiving support and freely speaking if needed.

Strategies to Promote Inclusivity

Socially excluded individuals, for instance, from BAME and LGBT+ groups, should be able to receive and benefit from the services they require with the help of health and care specialists. The foundation is a knowledge of inclusion, well-being, and social exclusion, how these impact people’s quality of life and access to care, and what professionals may do to include and assist individuals (Inclusion health, 2021). Inclusion health refers to those who are socially excluded, have several interacting potential risks for poor health, are stigmatized and discriminated against, and are not regularly accounted for in electronic data (Inclusion health, 2021). These occurrences typically result in obstacles to healthcare and severely declining health results. For instance, people who belong to inclusive health groups usually suffer from many health difficulties, including mental and physical illness and drug abuse problems.

The NHS offers a comprehensive service that, in essence, should be available to everyone. Nonetheless, members of inclusion health groups frequently experience challenges and constraints in accessing and participating with NHS and other care providers (Inclusion health, 2021). Nurses should enable clients to help themselves by utilizing any existing strategies. For instance, it is vital to educate patients from inclusion groups that everyone has free access to primary care and is eligible for free NHS services, including dental treatment (Inclusion health, 2021). Local voluntary and community sector organizations may provide free and confidential assistance to those experiencing difficulty accessing health and social care (Inclusion health, 2021). Consequently, Doctors of the World UK, Healthwatch, and Citizens Advice may also be able to offer assistance.

Equality, inclusion, and diversity are vital health and social care aspects. Petty (2018) acknowledges that the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the Care Act 2014 are four significant policies dealing with diversity and inclusion. Society should foster knowledge through training and education to help include marginalized groups in healthcare. The Equality Act of 2010 protects individuals with one or more of the nine protected characteristics against discrimination (Petty, 2018). Age, disability, marriage and civil union, pregnancy and motherhood, ethnicity, faith and belief, gender, sex changes, and sexual preference are examples. The Human Rights Act of 1998 covers the fundamental human rights and equality concepts. Petty (2018) adds that the abbreviation ‘FREDA’ aids in remembering what the Act covers: Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity, and Autonomy. The Mental Capacity Act of 2005 aims to assist persons who cannot maintain their autonomy, dignity, and freedom (Petty, 2018). Finally, the Care Act 2014 establishes six guiding principles for any work with vulnerable persons. This Act requires that individuals get the help tailored to them, selected by them, and with their agreement.

Another example of promoting inclusion is the ‘All Our Health’ guideline, which was developed to assist all health and care providers. Nurses should establish reliable connections with patients by displaying compassion, empathy, and a nonjudgmental attitude toward their situations (Inclusion health, 2021). Communicating with individuals in a way that helps them comprehend and use the information to make health-related decisions is critical. Nurses may assist clients in attending appointments, participating in treatment, and seeking more assistance (Inclusion health, 2021). Furthermore, as a health and care provider, one must participate in outreach initiatives to bring their services to the community.

It is necessary to ensure that persons with worsening health and rising demands are identified and provided proper treatment, including, where required, social care to empower patients. Nurses should frequently enquire about pertinent socioeconomic concerns such as housing situation, eligibility for benefits, and welfare help and offer as much information as feasible (Inclusion health, 2021). People may have had previous experiences being turned down for services or being treated unfairly due to preconceptions (Inclusion health, 2021). Nursing practitioners can significantly increase socially excluded people’s access to and utilization of services. Small steps can lead to significant gains in health outcomes, fewer inequities, and better opportunities.

Reflection on Self-Awareness and Resilience

Stereotyping, in my opinion, is a significant issue that can negatively impact an individual’s perspective of a specific group. In my career, I have witnessed various instances of stereotyping and prejudice, such as when nurses refer to persons with disabilities as incapable of living independently and occasionally even offend with their assumptions. I understand that prejudices impact everyone, but healthcare must provide fair and equitable treatment to all patients, regardless of background, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. Every individual has a right to access high-quality care whenever needed. When I notice myself utilizing stereotyping thinking, I start feeling terrible because it is my duty and obligation to be tolerant and open-minded when working with patients. I am able to be honest about my views of others; nonetheless, I cannot judge people’s personal choices or make any assumptions about their backgrounds.

My perspective on stereotyping did not change since I was always aware that it might contribute to poor health outcomes when employed in healthcare settings. Nonetheless, I gained new knowledge about policies and practical methods to encourage inclusion and challenged my beliefs about BAME and LGBTQ+ communities. Stereotypes about who is likely to develop an eating disorder, for instance, prevent BAME and LGBTQ+ people from seeking and receiving medical help. It is critical that I am acquainted with people’s service rights and that I do not deny access to someone who is entitled to the service. The literature review on healthcare stereotypes revealed that people continue to suffer bias, which causes anxiety and confusion about seeking medical help. Improved individualized, empathetic care, treating each individual with compassion and kindness, and awareness of the health difficulties that socially excluded persons are more prone to face are steps to promoting inclusion.

The lack of training and education on stereotyping and prejudice among healthcare practitioners is the aspect I would change. In my opinion, regular training and easy access to resources and tools that encourage inclusivity are the solutions. For instance, I discovered an Inclusion Health Self-Assessment Tool that would benefit nurses who aim to take action on inclusion health (Welcome to the inclusion health self assessment tool, n.d.). Stereotypes are more challenging to overcome when they are firmly embedded and taken for granted. I understand that people are vulnerable to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, but they have the power to overcome these defects if they are motivated. This knowledge will help me to cope with any stereotyping behaviors.

I learned that humans instinctively stereotype and classify others based on demographic traits to generate mental shortcuts. This method supports individuals in dealing with the massive cognitive effort required to assimilate and interpret the continuous data streams surrounding them. Nonetheless, labels make people feel uncomfortable about themselves, which affects how they believe society accepts them. It might be hard to erase stereotypical thinking; consequently, society should employ any available strategies to ensure inclusion. I decided to investigate healthcare access by persons in inclusion health groups in collaboration with organizations that work directly with them. Additionally, I need to constantly develop skills to build my resilience: tolerance, self-awareness, and mindfulness.

Conclusion

To conclude, unconscious biases in health practitioners may influence clinical judgment and decision-making. When automatic stereotyping occurs due to implicit bias, individuals are identified with certain features based on their social group membership rather than individual characteristics. Stereotypes are simplistic ideas that reduce all group members to a single attribute or description. The practice influenced by stereotypical thinking harms a patient’s physical and emotional health, individual health choices, and access to treatment. The paper provided examples of BAME and LGBTQ+ people who face significant health disparities and lack access to healthcare systems. In some instances, people from marginalized groups may fear bias and regard it as a barrier to obtaining necessary treatment. Furthermore, patients’ lack of transparency with healthcare workers and self-stigma may lead to a false sense of how society accepts them. Nursing practitioners can dramatically improve access to and use services for socially excluded populations. Training, self-awareness development, and inclusion promotion can significantly improve health outcomes and reduce disparities.

References

Bandyopadhyay, S., Boylan, C. T., Baho, Y. G., Casey, A., Asif, A., Khalil, H., Badwi, N., & Patel, R. (2022). Ethnicity-related stereotypes and their impacts on medical students: A critical narrative review of health professions education literature. Medical Teacher, 44(9), 986-996. Web.

Beat Eating Disorders. (n.d.). New research shows eating disorder stereotypes prevent people finding help. Beat Eating Disorders. Web.

Birkelund, G. E., Johannessen, L. E. F., Rasmussen, E. B., & Rogstad, J. (2020). Experience, stereotypes and discrimination. Employers’ reflections on their hiring behavior. European Societies, 22(4), 503-524. Web.

Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Stereotype. Cambridge Dictionary. Web.

Carlile, A. (2019). The experiences of transgender and non-binary children and young people and their parents in healthcare settings in England, UK: Interviews with members of a family support group. International Journal of Transgender Health, 21(1), 16–32. Web.

Inclusion health: Applying all our health. (2021). Gov.UK. Web.

McGlynn, N., Browne, K., Sherriff, N., Zeeman, L., Mirandola, M., Gios, L., Davis, R., Donisi, V., Farinella, F., Rosińska, M., Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik, M., Pierson, A., Pinto, N., Hugendubel, K. (2019). Healthcare professionals’ assumptions as barriers to LGBTI healthcare. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(8), 954-970. Web.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (n.d.). Stereotype. Web.

Petty, L. (2018). How to promote equality & diversity in health & social care. High Speed Training. Web.

Puddifoot, K. (2019). Stereotyping patients. Journal of Social Philosophy, 50(1), 69–90. Web.

Stereotypes and prejudice. (2022). NHS Health Education England. Web.

Stigma and discrimination. (2021). Mental Health Foundation. Web.

Welcome to the inclusion health self assessment tool for primary care networks. (n.d.). Inclusion Health. Web.

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