Preference for Patient-Provider Ethnic Concordance in Asian Americans
Date
2018-08
Authors
Jang, Yuri
Yoon, Hyunwoo
Kim, Miyong T.
Park, Nan Sook
Chiriboga, David A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge
Abstract
Objectives: The present study examined factors associated with the preference for patient-provider ethnic concordance in Asian Americans.
Design: With data drawn from the 2015 Asian American Quality of Life Survey (Nā=ā2535), a logistic regression model of the preference for patient-provider ethnic concordance was tested with demographic (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education), health and access (chronic medical conditions, self-rated health, health insurance coverage), immigration-related (place of birth, length of stay in the US, English proficiency, acculturation), and adverse experience (perceived discrimination, communication problems in healthcare settings) variables.
Results: Over half (52.4%) of those in the sample preferred to be treated by a healthcare provider from their own ethnic background. In a multivariate model, the odds for preferring ethnic concordance were 1.52-1.64 times higher among individuals in earlier stages of immigration, language acquisition, and acculturation. Individuals who had experienced communication problems in healthcare settings presented 3.74 times higher odds for preferring ethnic concordance than did counterparts without such experience.
Conclusions: The results emphasized the value of paying attention to patient-provider concordance when treating Asian Americans either relatively new to the country or who have had previous problems communicating with health professionals. The findings also provide implications for improving workforce diversity in healthcare delivery and medical education.
Description
Keywords
patient provider ethnic concordance, acculturation, communication problems in healthcare settings, Asian Americans, Social Work
Citation
Jang, Y., Yoon, H., Kim, M. T., Park, N. S., & Chiriboga, D. A. (2018). Preference for patientāprovider ethnic concordance in Asian Americans. Ethnicity and Health.