UNJUST PAIN MANAGEMENT For the African-American Community
As nurse, we seek to aide all of those who seek our help. However, not everyone is treated justly when it comes to pain management and pain control. An example of this disparity would be the case Dominique Oliver, an African American male, received a compound fracture to his lower leg while attempting to steal a soccer ball from a player on the opposing team while playing sports in high school. He was rushed to the local ER where his parents were informed that he would need surgery to correct the fracture. Between his admission to the ER and his transfer to the surgical unit, a several hour process, Dominique did not receive any form of pain medication. His mother was frantic that he was in pain and tried to advocate for him but was told by the physician in the ER …show more content…
Somashekhar states that unconscious stereotypes play a large part in why medications are being withheld (2016, p.1). She goes on to explain that the study found that 25% of medical residents believed that an African-American’s skin is thicker than a Caucasians. The study showed that when physicians were asked to rate the pain of two patients, one Caucasian, the other African-American, found that there was a bias in treatment when the medical personnel believed that an African-American’s skin is thicker (2016, p.2) This is a huge disparity in the scientific and cultural literacy within the medical community. It is known that there are some minor medical differences between African-Americans and Caucasians, but those differences have more to do with the metabolism of medication rather than with pain receptors. Also, each culture is different in how they express pain, it does not mean that they either feel more or feel less pain than they are stating they are
As nurse, we seek to aide all of those who seek our help. However, not everyone is treated justly when it comes to pain management and pain control. An example of this disparity would be the case Dominique Oliver, an African American male, received a compound fracture to his lower leg while attempting to steal a soccer ball from a player on the opposing team while playing sports in high school. He was rushed to the local ER where his parents were informed that he would need surgery to correct the fracture. Between his admission to the ER and his transfer to the surgical unit, a several hour process, Dominique did not receive any form of pain medication. His mother was frantic that he was in pain and tried to advocate for him but was told by the physician in the ER …show more content…
Somashekhar states that unconscious stereotypes play a large part in why medications are being withheld (2016, p.1). She goes on to explain that the study found that 25% of medical residents believed that an African-American’s skin is thicker than a Caucasians. The study showed that when physicians were asked to rate the pain of two patients, one Caucasian, the other African-American, found that there was a bias in treatment when the medical personnel believed that an African-American’s skin is thicker (2016, p.2) This is a huge disparity in the scientific and cultural literacy within the medical community. It is known that there are some minor medical differences between African-Americans and Caucasians, but those differences have more to do with the metabolism of medication rather than with pain receptors. Also, each culture is different in how they express pain, it does not mean that they either feel more or feel less pain than they are stating they are