Lack of trust in healthcare
remains an issue, as people want
to feel safe and understood, and
want to be treated with empathy.
One way to help rebuild the
eroded trust in healthcare is to be
treated by a clinician with shared
experiences, and many patients
have expressed a desire to be
treated by someone who looks
like them, talks like them and/or
is from their community.
~68 million people speak a language other than English at home, and ~30 million people have difficulty speaking, writing or understanding English. Communication and information sharing between patients and their healthcare team is important and language differences can lead to issues in care. Research shows that when a doctor communicates fluently in the patient’s preferred language (language concordance) it can help build trust and improve healthcare outcomes and satisfaction, including reduction of medication complications. 1, 2, 3, 4
The U.S. is racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, reflecting an array of lived experiences. Sharing commonalities with your doctor, such as race, culture, background, gender, etc., can help improve your connection and make them more relatable. Racial concordance is when a patient and doctor share the same race or ethnicity, which can facilitate trust, open communication, engagement and satisfaction with care. 5, 6
There are challenges in tracking the impact of a patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) on health outcomes with wide variation in how this data is collected. The LGBQIA+ community often negotiates whether to disclose SOGI to their healthcare team based on how safe they’re feeling. Challenges in healthcare have impacted the LGBTQIA+ community’s willingness to seek treatment, engage in their healthcare and preventative healthcare services and screenings. It has also affected their perceptions of the quality of health services they’ve received, their satisfaction with treatment and the emotional adjustment to their condition. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Lack of trust in healthcare remains an issue, as people want to feel safe and understood, and want to be treated with empathy. One way to help rebuild the eroded trust in healthcare is to be treated by a clinician with shared experiences, and many patients have expressed a desire to be treated by someone who looks like them, talks like them and/or is from their community.
~68 million people speak a language other than English at home, and ~30 million people have difficulty speaking, writing or understanding English. Communication and information sharing between patients and their healthcare team is important and language differences can lead to issues in care. Research shows that when a doctor communicates fluently in the patient’s preferred language (language concordance) it can help build trust and improve healthcare outcomes and satisfaction, including reduction of medication complications. 1, 2, 3, 4
The U.S. is racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, reflecting an array of lived experiences. Sharing commonalities with your doctor, such as race, culture, background, gender, etc., can help improve your connection and make them more relatable. Racial concordance is when a patient and doctor share the same race or ethnicity, which can facilitate trust, open communication, engagement and satisfaction with care. 5, 6
Research shows that both female and male patients tend to prefer a doctor who is the same gender, which can help promote open communication and make them feel more at ease during a physical exam. 7, 8
There are challenges in tracking the impact of a patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) on health outcomes with wide variation in how this data is collected. The LGBQIA+ community often negotiates whether to disclose SOGI to their healthcare team based on how safe they’re feeling. Challenges in healthcare have impacted the LGBTQIA+ community’s willingness to seek treatment, engage in their healthcare and preventative healthcare services and screenings. It has also affected their perceptions of the quality of health services they’ve received, their satisfaction with treatment and the emotional adjustment to their condition. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
