Trust between patients and healthcare providers is important.  Among minoritized populations, there can be a distrust of healthcare providers and the healthcare system. There are various reasons why minoritized individuals may distrust the healthcare system. The country’s history of mistreating African American people in medical settings, such as the Tuskegee syphilis study and forced sterilizations of African American women, play a role. Also, discrimination in healthcare settings and negative experiences with healthcare providers can lead to distrust in the healthcare system.

In the Fortune article, authors discuss a study by Sanofi that examined how people from diverse backgrounds experience the healthcare system.

“In the U.S., 77% of people with disabilities, 69% of people from ethnic minority groups, and 70% of people from the LGBTQ+ community say they have had experiences that damaged their trust in the healthcare system. The survey also showed the compounding effect of marginalization: People who fell into more than one of these groups were significantly more likely to have had a bad experience while seeking care. For example, in the U.S., 80% of people who have disabilities and identify as LGBTQ+ reported losing trust in the healthcare system due to their personal experience, compared with 56% of people without those backgrounds.”

They suggest three steps to help close this distrust gap: diversifying the healthcare workforce, investing in preventative medicine, and listening to their patients and being empathetic.

A distrust in the healthcare system can lead individuals to avoid seeking medical services including routine checkups and medical treatments. This can be detrimental to one’s health and result in further health disparities. Understanding vulnerable populations’ distrust in the healthcare system is crucial to providing high-quality healthcare. As the article suggests, establishing trust in these populations will take time, money, and a commitment to equitable healthcare.