Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment Recommendations, and False Beliefs About Biological Differences Between Blacks and Whites

Copyright

2016

This article examines beliefs associated with racial bias in pain management, a critical health care domain with well-documented racial disparities. Findings reveal that a substantial number of white laypeople and medical students and residents hold false beliefs about biological differences between Blacks and whites and that these beliefs predict racial bias in pain perception and treatment recommendation accuracy. The article aims to provide evidence that false beliefs about biological differences between Blacks and whites continue to shape the way we perceive and treat Black people.