Ensuring positive patient experiences in healthcare is crucial for providing quality care and improving overall health outcomes. This AAPI Heritage Month, we’re exploring how Asian Americans and Pacific Islander patients face unique challenges and disparities in their healthcare experiences.
Understanding these experiences is essential for nurses and other healthcare providers in order to deliver the best care possible. This blog explores some of the historical and cultural backgrounds of these healthcare experiences and how we can work towards a more inclusive healthcare system.
AAPI Patient Populations
The AAPI community is comprised of so many subcultures, languages, geographic locations, customs, histories, circumstances, and more. The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Asian” as any person originating from the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent (including, but not limited to India, China, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, or Vietnam).
There are approximately 19.7 million Asian Americans in the United States as of the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (almost 6% of the U.S. population). In the U.S., the five most represented subcategories of Asian Americans were (in order): Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Korean Americans.
Top AAPI Healthcare Challenges
- Discrimination: Historical and current-day discrimination is a significant factor impacting minority groups, which can often be overlooked by those who don’t experience it firsthand. An example of this can be seen in the way the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted AAPI populations. These communities specifically experienced an increased amount of hate crimes and discrimination during the pandemic, potentially contributing to an increase in mistrust of the healthcare system.
- Access to Care and Insurance: Additionally, AAPI patients may face disparities in access to healthcare. Factors such as immigration status, financial barriers, and lack of health insurance can limit their ability to seek appropriate and timely healthcare.
- Underutilization of Preventive Services: The AAPI community is less likely to have a primary care doctor when compared to other groups. As of 2019, almost a quarter of AAPI patients in the U.S. reported that they did not have a primary care provider. The AAPI community has health issues that are disproportionately prevalent among certain patient populations, and preventative services are key in addressing those problems before they become too severe to manage.
- Language Barriers: Many groups can experience disparities in care due to language barriers. About one-third of people in the AAPI community report having limited English proficiency, which impacts the patient-provider relationship and treatment plans. Without language support, people are less likely to prioritize preventative care or effectively receive treatment and diagnoses.
- Subgroup Differences: Health research regarding Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders often groups all subsets into one statistic, but this can usually be misleading and fail to address healthcare concerns within unique populations. Disparities can be left unaddressed if the AAPI community is treated as one group and not recognized as having specific subgroups with unique needs.
Ways to Address Disparities
Addressing health disparities among AAPI patients is a multifaceted issue, but steps can be taken to improve care. Providers and patients can work together to achieve better care for all. These barriers can be improved with focused efforts and intentional awareness. Some actions that can help include:
- Expanding policies to increase access to healthcare and insurance
- Expanding community outreach efforts
- Providing access to interpreters and language services
- Educating providers about certain healthcare disparities
- Increasing efforts to encourage preventative care
Our Impact at SHC
At Supplemental Health Care, we know that making healthcare accessible for everyone is an essential part of improving the patient experience. We work to bridge gaps in care and improve the healthcare experience for both patients and providers. As a leading healthcare staffing provider, we celebrate, value, and promote our healthcare professionals, the patients they serve, and our communities.
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