Racial Bias among Hispanic Nurses in the American Healthcare System. Impact on the level of attentiveness towards patients

Abstract or Introduction

This study looks into how biological racial biases held by middle-aged, hispanic nurses impact their levels of attentiveness towards patients of racial minorities. Although several studies have helped contextualize the problem regarding disparities in medical treatment amongst patients of different backgrounds, none specifically have looked into how biological racial biases impact the treatment of racial minorities by middle-aged nurses or Hispanic nurses. Middle-aged nurses were chosen for this study because studies have evaluated how age may impact a person’s levels of racism, yet they used two extremes, being people in their 20s or their 70-90s. No research has been done on racism in middle-aged participants.

Hispanic nurses were chosen for this study because the majority of people in Miami are Hispanic and I wanted to evaluate how this would influence their levels of attentiveness towards patients of racial minorities being a part of a racial minority themselves. 30 nurses would participate in the study. They completed a three-part questionnaire on Google Forms. The three-part survey was created to draw accurate conclusions between racial attitudes toward minorities and biological racial biases held by the nurses and how they affect their levels of attentiveness toward patients based on their race or ethnicity.

This study shows a negative correlation between the holding of biological racial and low levels of attentiveness in these middle-aged Hispanic nurses. However, there was a correlation between those who believed in five or more common biological racial biases and poor levels of attentiveness regarding patients of racial minorities. These findings can be used by hospitals to provide a reflection of their medical staff, promote the elimination of biological racial biases in medical schools, and draw connections between these results and those of other nurses of non-Hispanic descent.