Loyola University-Chicago, 517 N Racine Ave. #2, Chicago, IL, 60642, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2018 Feb;5(1):213-220. doi: 10.1007/s40615-017-0360-2. Epub 2017 Apr 13.
Racial and cultural barriers inherent in health systems have made the delivery of culturally relevant end of life care that aligns with patient preferences a particular challenge across African American patient populations. The end of life experience has been cited as a public health crisis by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and this crisis is one felt even more acutely by patients of this minority race. Structural racism has limited access to the planning mechanisms proven to result in quality end of life care; thus, health systems must initiate remedies in the face of dire need, as African Americans face a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality from many serious illnesses. Recognizing that education is essential to overcoming barriers to quality care access, the development of new and culturally appropriate models of community engagement surrounding advance care planning is needed to serve and empower African American patients.
卫生系统中固有的种族和文化障碍，使得提供与患者偏好相符的、具有文化相关性的临终关怀服务成为非裔美国患者群体面临的一个特殊挑战。美国国家医学院（IOM）已经将临终关怀体验列为公共卫生危机，而对于这个少数族裔的患者来说，这种危机的感受更加深刻。结构性种族主义限制了获得已被证明可带来高质量临终关怀服务的规划机制的机会；因此，卫生系统必须在面临严峻需求时采取补救措施，因为非裔美国人面临着许多严重疾病的发病率和死亡率不成比例的负担。认识到教育对于克服获得高质量护理的障碍至关重要，因此需要围绕预先护理计划制定新的、具有文化适应性的社区参与模式，以为非裔美国患者提供服务和赋予他们权力。
