We all know a person’s health can be profoundly affected by the circumstances in which they live. The ability to breathe fresh air, live in a safe home, play and exercise outside, and eat healthy food varies from community to community. In vulnerable areas, poor health is often linked to poverty, discrimination, homelessness, lack of access to quality education and employment, and a toxic environment.
Unfortunately, for many, this means facing ongoing health challenges, as well as a shorter life expectancy in general. Research shows that people living in communities with unequal opportunities are more likely to die before age 75.
Even at the bedside, the way medical staff meet and treat individual patients can inadvertently create greater barriers to care. Studies have shown that implicit bias is present in many interactions between patients and caregivers – from the way clinicians record notes in electronic health records, to words chosen to describe the patient’s condition. When terms such as “non-compliant,” “aggressive,” “aggressive,” or “uncooperative” are used to describe a patient, it can negatively affect the care they receive. received in the future.
A 2022 study in the journal Health Affairs discovered implicit bias in EHRs, noting that Black patients were more than twice as likely to have negative behaviors and histories than white patients. Furthermore, research shows that Medicaid patients, who have comorbidities or are unmarried, are more likely to have negative terms written to their health records.
Too many patients across the country are simply not getting the kind of health care they need and deserve. Millions of people are unhealthy or die due to factors beyond their control. Addressing systemic barriers that exacerbate health inequalities should begin with practicing a simple but powerful concept that can light the way towards justice and health equity. health: human kindness.
What is human kindness? It is purposeful, voluntary action taken with sensitivity to the needs or wants of others and actively directed towards promoting their well-being. In a healthcare context, that means building meaningful connections by actively listening to patients, establishing trust, showing compassion, and responding with empathy.
Usually, if a patient doesn’t stick to the plan of care, it’s not because they don’t want to be healthy. That’s because they’re focusing on stressors that often don’t address health care providers, but that negatively impact health—such as maintaining housing
or access to food. If we want patients to stick to their plans, we need to explore their social needs and help them connect to needed support services. If we add in human kindness, the probability of success is even higher.
Doctors taking the time to listen, connect, and reassure their patients not only help them reduce stress, but they also help them feel more in control of their treatment and understand more about their long-term health care.
This may sound like a soft and weak concept to some, but decades of research prove it. When we provide care this way, science shows that patients recover faster, reduce pain, increase immune function, lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety.
Work has been done to reinforce health care with kindness. The recently launched Lloyd H. Dean Human & Health Justice Institute builds on the legacy of the former CommonSpirit Health CEO, who was named to address the systems and barriers that keep Americans from being can live their best lives. The institute’s mission is to leverage the power of human kindness to treat some of the root causes of poor health.
Kindness goes even further at the macro level: It’s an essential part of healthcare providers’ commitment to their communities. To bring truly great care to all, we must acknowledge our collective humanity and remind ourselves that we all deserve respect.
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