The article, Healthcare Mistreatment and Cultural Beliefs Impact HbA1c in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, focuses on the effects of cultural beliefs on the biological, psychological, and biological aspects pertinent to health outcomes and adherence to treatment among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients. The authors mention that healthcare providers’ cultural biases regarding racial minorities influence medical interactions between providers and patients. Although such interactions are vital for managing chronic illnesses, many patients from ethnic minority groups feel disrespected and mistreated by healthcare providers. The authors argue that the perceptions of mistreatment and inadequate healthcare services affect treatment adherence and healthcare outcomes. The study is based on other studies that analyze the effects of cultural aspects on cancer screening among Anglo-Americans and Latinos in the US.
The study, conducted in Chile, used 400 T2DM patients as the participants (Betancourt & Flynn, 2019). The participants included both indigenous and non-indigenous Chileans. They used questionnaires to collect data and a structural equation model to analyze the data. The results indicated that healthcare mistreatment and cultural beliefs regarding diabetes-related social rejection promoted treatment distress. Subsequently, high treatment distress resulted in medical avoidance and higher HbA1c. The authors also found that mistreatment of patients due to cultural prejudices affects future interactions and health outcomes as patients tend to avoid medical providers.
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Although healthcare personnel intend to provide quality care to individuals under minority groups and from low socio-economic classes, their cultural biases and lack of cultural awareness results in poor quality care and patient outcomes. The authors recommend that healthcare organizations and healthcare training institutions should introduce training on interpersonal communication, cultural competence, and elimination of implicit prejudices in the healthcare sector to improve health outcomes among patients with chronic illnesses, including T2DM. They also propose that healthcare organizations and personnel should consider the effect of psychological and cultural aspects on the behaviors of both patients and providers to enhance healthcare interventions.
Reference
Betancourt, H., & Flynn, P. (2019). Healthcare Mistreatment and Cultural Beliefs Impact HbA1c in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Psychological Research Record, 9 (2), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.22201/fpsi.20074719e.2019.2.258
