The Legacy of Tuskegee and Trust in Medical Care

INTRODUCTION

It is well documented that African Americans are more mistrustful of the medical care system than whites. Mistrust may be associated with underutilization of health services, a greater likelihood of refusal to participate in clinical research, reduced proclivity to donate organs or biological material, and more concern about unwitting enrollment in potentially harmful medical experiments. The mistrust expressed by African Americans has been attributed to a number of factors, including limited access to the medical care system, a consequence of historical segregation in hospitals, and discourteous treatment and maltreatment by hospital personnel and healthcare professionals. The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male (Tuskegee study) is among the most often cited reasons for mistrust of medical care among African Americans.

The Tuskegee study was conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service, lasted for approximately 40 years and involved the intentional deception and denial of treatment of the research subjects. The Tuskegee study represents the model example of the type of harmful experimentation feared by many African Americans. Several studies have assessed knowledge of the Tuskegee study among African Americans compared to whites. However, no study has explicitly assessed the relationship between knowledge of the Tuskegee study and mistrust of medical care among African Americans or racial differences in this relationship. The purpose of this study is to assess racial differences in the relationship between knowledge of the Tuskegee study and mistrust of medical care. Get the medication you need. Buy flomax 0.4 mg online

Category: Health

Tags: African Americans, health disparities, medical mistrust, race differences, Tuskegee study