DLNews Health:

In a new poll, 25% of voters say they have "personally experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care due to race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation." The poll, sponsored by Compassion & Choices, an end-of-life care advocacy group, included more than 1,600 voters from California and across the United States. 

"It was striking that one-quarter of voters report that they experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care, with an even higher 35% among Black people, 29% among Hispanics, and 41% among people who are LGBT," said pollster Amy Simon, a partner at Goodman Simon Strategic Research. "That translates to millions of people who are experiencing healthcare discrimination."

Negative experiences included patients who said they don't feel heard or have been prescribed insufficient pain medication to ease suffering. Statistics show patients of color have significantly worse health outcomes compared with their white counterparts.

Compassion & Choices President and CEO Kim Callinan said one way to reduce discrimination and solution is to ensure high-quality palliative care is available in low-income neighborhoods, not just in wealthier areas.

"Clinicians need to focus on improving their cultural intelligence so that they can effectively interact with people who are different from them," Callinan emphasized. "We also need to prioritize the recruitment of a more diverse clinician pool so that people see other people that look like them."

The survey also addressed attitudes toward end-of-life care and found a vast majority think their end-of-life wishes will be respected. However, only 37% had completed an advance directive or living will, and 36% said they had appointed a healthcare proxy. 

On its website, Compassion & Choices offers a free decision guide, information on advance-care planning, and a dementia values and priorities tool.