1 in 8 minority cancer patients say they’ve never had a physician who understands their culture

Racial disparities in cancer care and outcomes have been well-documented, and improving cultural competency among physicians is one proposed way of addressing some of these gaps. A new survey of nearly 2,300 cancer survivors finds that about 65% of nonwhite patients said they were able to see a physician who shared or understood their culture — this figure for white patients was close to 80%. Nonwhite patients were also more likely to report that seeing a culturally sensitive physician was important to them than their white counterparts. Notably, 1 in 8 nonwhite patients said they were never able to see a physician who understood their cultural background, compared to 1 in 25 white patients who said the same. At the same time, similarly high proportions of minority and white patients said they were treated by physicians with respect.