Frequently Asked Questions:
What is medical bias and how does it affect patients?
Medical bias describes the attitudes & beliefs that are (often unconsciously) held by medical professionals about patients in certain demographic groups. These assumptions can result in providers making crucial medical decisions based on stereotypes & prejudice rather than what is in their patient's best interest. This leads to delays in both diagnosis and treatment, poor health outcomes, gaslighting, PTSD, and extreme disparities in care between patients of different demographic groups.
Who is affected by medical bias/disparities in healthcare?
Everyone's health outcomes are influenced by their identities. Where you live and what kind of health insurance you have often determines what type of care you have access to. Once you have access to care, medical professionals can hold implicit bias toward patients with specific diagnosis, identities, and backgrounds. Often, it's a combination of factors that lead toward a patient being discriminated against, including:
gender identity
age
race
neurodiversity
income
education level
location
weight
mental health
criminal history
addiction
immigration status
and so much more.
See something missing from this list? Let me know!
I've experienced barriers to healthcare related to my identity. How can I get involved?
Take the survey
This survey is to help me better understand how race, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and other factors influence medical care. All answers are anonymous unless you choose to provide your information at the end of the survey.
Join a Focus Group
If you've encountered barriers to healthcare based on a specific identity, consider talking about your experience in a focus group! These weekly zoom meetings allow me to hear from identity groups whose perspective may look different than mine and ensures that the film will be as inclusive as possible. Please check the schedule for a list of upcoming focus groups.
Facebook Discussion Group
If Zoom meetings aren't your thing, you can still contribute to the conversation that will shape this film in a written discussion group. This private forum will serve as a safe space to discuss healthcare bias with others who've shared similar experiences. At this time, this group is limited to patients only.
Share your story
If you're interested in sharing your story on camera, please fill out this form! Although production so far has been sporadic due to fluctuations in COVID-19 cases, I am actively working on the series development and adding folks to our interview schedule.
In the meantime, please consider sharing your experience in our awareness campaign on social media!
Why do I need to be fully vaccinated before my on-camera interview?
Many of the people working on this project are chronically ill or immunocompromised, putting them at high risk for COVID-19. For the safety of our crew, all on-camera interviewees must be fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks out from their last shot) before their filming date.
Can I share anonymously?
Yes, the survey listed above is completely anonymous (I can't see your info unless you choose to submit it).
If you want your story to be included on camera, I can arrange for you to be silhouetted and even disguise your voice! I want everyone to feel safe sharing their experience. Email me to learn more about privacy options.
I'm a medical professional, caregiver, advocate, nonprofit organization, etc. who'd like to share my perspective. Can I get involved?
Yes! Please fill out the share your story form to get in touch.
I want to contribute without sharing a story . How can I help?
Share
Please consider sharing the project with your friends and family! Social media is a great tool for me to connect with and educate others about disparities in healthcare! You can find Standard of Care on Facebook (Standard of Care) and Instagram (@standardofcare).
Volunteer
As a chronically ill graduate student, I will need some help making this project happen! If you are interested in volunteering please fill out this form.
Donate
Creating a high-quality, inclusive documentary series is expensive! At this time, I have not started crowdfunding for the production cost of this film. If you would like to contribute monetarily, please email me.
Medical bias describes the attitudes & beliefs that are (often unconsciously) held by medical professionals about patients in certain demographic groups. These assumptions can result in providers making crucial medical decisions based on stereotypes & prejudice rather than what is in their patient's best interest. This leads to delays in both diagnosis and treatment, poor health outcomes, gaslighting, PTSD, and extreme disparities in care between patients of different demographic groups.
Who is affected by medical bias/disparities in healthcare?
Everyone's health outcomes are influenced by their identities. Where you live and what kind of health insurance you have often determines what type of care you have access to. Once you have access to care, medical professionals can hold implicit bias toward patients with specific diagnosis, identities, and backgrounds. Often, it's a combination of factors that lead toward a patient being discriminated against, including:
gender identity
age
race
neurodiversity
income
education level
location
weight
mental health
criminal history
addiction
immigration status
and so much more.
See something missing from this list? Let me know!
I've experienced barriers to healthcare related to my identity. How can I get involved?
Take the survey
This survey is to help me better understand how race, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and other factors influence medical care. All answers are anonymous unless you choose to provide your information at the end of the survey.
Join a Focus Group
If you've encountered barriers to healthcare based on a specific identity, consider talking about your experience in a focus group! These weekly zoom meetings allow me to hear from identity groups whose perspective may look different than mine and ensures that the film will be as inclusive as possible. Please check the schedule for a list of upcoming focus groups.
Facebook Discussion Group
If Zoom meetings aren't your thing, you can still contribute to the conversation that will shape this film in a written discussion group. This private forum will serve as a safe space to discuss healthcare bias with others who've shared similar experiences. At this time, this group is limited to patients only.
Share your story
If you're interested in sharing your story on camera, please fill out this form! Although production so far has been sporadic due to fluctuations in COVID-19 cases, I am actively working on the series development and adding folks to our interview schedule.
In the meantime, please consider sharing your experience in our awareness campaign on social media!
Why do I need to be fully vaccinated before my on-camera interview?
Many of the people working on this project are chronically ill or immunocompromised, putting them at high risk for COVID-19. For the safety of our crew, all on-camera interviewees must be fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks out from their last shot) before their filming date.
Can I share anonymously?
Yes, the survey listed above is completely anonymous (I can't see your info unless you choose to submit it).
If you want your story to be included on camera, I can arrange for you to be silhouetted and even disguise your voice! I want everyone to feel safe sharing their experience. Email me to learn more about privacy options.
I'm a medical professional, caregiver, advocate, nonprofit organization, etc. who'd like to share my perspective. Can I get involved?
Yes! Please fill out the share your story form to get in touch.
I want to contribute without sharing a story . How can I help?
Share
Please consider sharing the project with your friends and family! Social media is a great tool for me to connect with and educate others about disparities in healthcare! You can find Standard of Care on Facebook (Standard of Care) and Instagram (@standardofcare).
Volunteer
As a chronically ill graduate student, I will need some help making this project happen! If you are interested in volunteering please fill out this form.
Donate
Creating a high-quality, inclusive documentary series is expensive! At this time, I have not started crowdfunding for the production cost of this film. If you would like to contribute monetarily, please email me.