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Importance: Biased patient behavior negatively impacts resident well-being. Data on the prevalence and frequency of these encounters are lacking and are needed to guide the creation of institutional trainings and policies to support trainees. Objective: To evaluate the frequency of resident experiences with and responses to a range of biased patient behaviors. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective survey was sent via email to 331 second- and third-year internal medicine residents from 3 academic medical centers in California and North Carolina. First-year residents were excluded owing to their limited interactions with patients at the time of participant recruitment. Data were collected from August 21 to November 25, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: Descriptive statistics were used to report the frequency of experience of various types of biased patient behavior, residents' responses, the factors impeding residents' responses, and residents' experiences and beliefs regarding training and policies. Results: Overall, 232 of 331 residents (70%) participated; 116 (50%) were women; 116 of 247 (47%) were White (participants had the option of selecting >1 race/ethnicity); and 23 (10%) identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. The frequency of resident-reported experience of types of biased patient behaviors varied. The most common behaviors-belittling comments and assumption of nonphysician status-were reported to be experienced 1 or more times per week by 14% of residents (32 of 231) and 17% of residents (38 of 230), respectively. Women, Black or Latinx, and Asian residents reported experiencing biased behavior more frequently. Forty-five percent of Black or Latinx residents (17 of 38) encountered instances of explicit epithets or rejection of care. All 70 Asian residents reported experiencing inquiries into their ethnic origins. Most women residents (110 of 115 [96%]) experienced role questioning behaviors, and 87% (100 of 115) experienced sexual harassment. The need to prioritize clinical care and a sense of futility in responding were the most common factors (cited by 34% of residents [76 of 227] and 25% of residents [56 of 227], respectively) significantly impeding responses to biased behaviors. Eighty-five percent of residents (191 of 226) never reported incidents to their institution. Eighty-nine percent of residents (206 of 232) identified training and policies as necessary or very necessary. Conclusions and Relevance: This survey study suggests that biased patient behavior is experienced frequently by internal medicine residents. Non-White and women residents reported experiencing a disproportionate burden of these incidents. Residents' responses rarely included institutional involvement. Residency programs and health care systems should prioritize training and policies to address biased patient behavior and support affected residents.

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Introducción. Las poblaciones indígenas están atravesando profundos cambios en su estilo de vida que afectan la salud y la manera en que tratan sus enfermedades. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los itinerarios terapéuticos que las madres qom siguen cuando perciben que sus hijos están enfermos.Población y métodos. Se trabajó en la comunidad periurbana de Namqom, en la provincia de Formosa, con un grupo de madres con niños pequeños, quienes fueron entrevistadas en sus hogares hasta lograr saturación. El estudio siguió un diseño exploratorio cualitativo, basado en un modelo conceptual de creencias de salud.Resultados. Los itinerarios terapéuticos elegidos por 16 madres qom incluyeron el uso de remedios caseros, la sanación bíblica/religiosa, la sanación por curanderos y la visita al centro de salud provincial. El itinerario para seguir, por lo general, depende de la caracterización que hace la madre de los síntomas como naturales (con origen biológico) o no naturales (relacionados con brujería). Los diferentes métodos no son necesariamente incompatibles y, muchas veces, se usan como complementarios. Tanto la confianza en la efectividad como el temor a las consecuencias juegan un papel importante en la selección del tratamiento. Estos resultados son de extrema utilidad para mejorar el diálogo entre la comunidad y el centro de salud. Resulta prioritario promover una mejor coordinación entre diferentes agentes de salud en comunidades indígenas en transición.Conclusiones. Los resultados de este estudio permitieron describir los itinerarios terapéuticos elegidos y, consecuentemente, se puso en evidencia la marcada presencia del pluralismo médico en esta comunidad

Introduction. Indigenous peoples are undergoing profound lifestyle changes that affect their health and the way they manage their diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic itineraries followed by Qom mothers whenever they perceive their children are sick.Population and methods. The study was done in the Namqom peri-urban community, in the province of Formosa, with a group of mothers with young children interviewed at their houses until achieving saturation. The study followed an exploratory, qualitative design based on a conceptual health belief model.Results. The therapeutic itineraries selected by 16 Qom mothers included using home remedies, biblical/faith healing, healers, and visiting the provincial health center. In general, the itinerary depends on how the mother characterizes disease symptoms: natural (biological cause) or unnatural (sorcery-related). The different methods are not necessarily incompatible and, many times, are used as complementary. Both reliability on effectiveness and fear of consequences play an important role on treatment selection. These results are extremely helpful to improve the dialog between the community and the health center. It is necessary to promote an improved coordination among the different health care agents working in transitioning indigenous communities.Conclusions. The results of this study described selected therapeutic itineraries and, as a consequence, evidenced the strong presence of pluralistic medical systems in this community

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INTRODUCTION: Indigenous peoples are undergoing profound Lifestyle changes that affect their health and the way they manage their diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic itineraries followed by Qom mothers whenever they perceive their children are sick. POPULATION AND METHODS: The study was done in the Namqom peri-urban community, in the province of Formosa, with a group of mothers with young children interviewed at their houses until achieving saturation. The study followed an exploratory, qualitative design based on a conceptual health belief model. RESULTS: The therapeutic itineraries selected by 16 Qom mothers included using home remedies, biblical/faith healing, healers, and visiting the provincial health center. In general, the itinerary depends on how the mother characterizes disease symptoms: natural (biological cause) or unnatural (sorcery-related). The different methods are not necessarily incompatible and, many times, are used as complementary. Both reliability on effectiveness and fear of consequences play an important role on treatment selection. These results are extremely helpful to improve the dialog between the community and the health center. It is necessary to promote an improved coordination among the different health care agents working in transitioning indigenous communities. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study described selected therapeutic itineraries and, as a consequence, evidenced the strong presence of pluralistic medical systems in this community.

Introducción. Las poblaciones indígenas están atravesando profundos cambios en su estilo de vida que afectan la salud y la manera en que tratan sus enfermedades. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los itinerarios terapéuticos que las madres qom siguen cuando perciben que sus hijos están enfermos. Población y métodos. Se trabajó en la comunidad periurbana de Namqom, en la provincia de Formosa, con un grupo de madres con niños pequeños, quienes fueron entrevistadas en sus hogares hasta lograr saturación. El estudio siguió un diseño exploratorio cualitativo, basado en un modelo conceptual de creencias de salud. Resultados. Los itinerarios terapéuticos elegidos por 16 madres qom incluyeron el uso de remedios caseros, la sanaciónbíblica/religiosa, la sanación por curanderos y la visita al centro de salud provincial. El itinerario para seguir, por lo general, depende de la caracterización que hace la madre de los síntomas como naturales (con origen biológico) o no naturales (relacionados con brujería). Los diferentes métodos no son necesariamente incompatibles y, muchas veces, se usan como complementarios. Tanto la confianza en la efectividad como el temor a las consecuencias juegan un papel importante en la selección del tratamiento. Estos resultados son de extrema utilidad para mejorar el diálogo entre la comunidad y el centro de salud. Resulta prioritario promover una mejor coordinación entre diferentes agentes de salud en comunidades indígenas en transición. Conclusiones. Los resultados de este estudio permitieron describir los itinerarios terapéuticos elegidos y, consecuentemente, se puso en evidencia la marcada presencia del pluralismo médico en esta comunidad.

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Some patients engage in behavior or use language that demeans clinicians on the basis of their social identity traits, such as race, ethnicity, sex, disability, gender presentation, and sexual orientation, and some patients even request reassignment of involved clinicians. Despite the importance and prevalence of this problem, many medical centers lack an organizational approach for addressing patient conduct. Policy development can be daunting because organizations may encounter various barriers, including reluctance of staff to have difficult conversations about race or other identity traits; uncertainty about what constitutes an appropriate response to the spectrum of demeaning behaviors and who should make this determination; what, if any, support should be offered to targeted clinicians; whether these incidents should be reported and to whom; and whether the medical center's response should differ depending on whether nurses, trainees, or other clinicians are involved. These determinations have important implications for patients' informed consent rights, clinicians' employment rights, and medical centers' obligations to protect patients' health while adhering to workplace antidiscrimination laws and institutional commitments to diversity, equality, and inclusion. This article addresses these considerations and offers guidance to organizations on devising effective policies that meet the needs of medical centers, patients, and health care workers across services and roles, including physicians, nurses, and trainees.

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Importance: As the clinical workforce becomes more diverse, physicians encounter patients who demean them based on social characteristics. Little is known about physicians' perspectives on these encounters and their effects. This knowledge would help develop policies and best practices for institutions and training programs. Objective: To describe the range and importance of encounters with biased patients and the barriers and facilitators to effective responses. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study recruited convenience samples of hospitalist attending physicians, internal medicine residents, and medical students from 3 campuses affiliated with 1 academic medical center. Data were collected from 50 individuals within 13 focus groups from May 9 through October 15, 2018. Focus groups were conducted using open-ended probes, audiotaped, and transcribed. Participants used their own definition of biased patient behavior. Each transcript was independently coded by at least 2 investigators. Data were analyzed from May 2018 through February 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures: Major themes associated with types of encounter, importance to the participant, and barriers and facilitators to effective responses were abstracted through the constant comparative approach. Results: Overall, 50 individuals (11 hospitalists, 26 residents, and 13 students) participated; 24 (48%) were nonwhite. At total of 26 participants (52%) identified as women; 22 (44%), as men; and 2 (4%), as gender nonconforming. Reports of biased behavior ranged from patient refusal of care and explicit racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks to belittling compliments or jokes. Targeted physicians reported an emotional toll that included exhaustion, self-doubt, and cynicism. Nontargeted bystanders reported moral distress and uncertainty about how to respond. Participant responses ranged from withdrawal from clinical role to a heightened determination to provide standard of care. Barriers to effective responses included lack of skills, insufficient support from senior colleagues and the institution, and perception of lack of utility associated with responding. Participants expressed a need for training on dealing with biased patients and for clear institutional policies to guide responses. Conclusions and Relevance: In this qualitative study of physicians and medical students, encounters with demeaning patients ranged from refusal of care to belittling jokes and were highly challenging and painful. Addressing biased patient behavior will require a concerted effort from medical schools and hospitals to create policies and trainings conducive to a clinical environment that respects the diversity of patients and physicians alike.

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OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to identify if there might be advantages to combining two major public health concerns, i.e., homicides and suicides, in an analysis with well-established macro-level economic determinants, i.e., unemployment and inequality. METHODS: Mortality data, unemployment statistics, and inequality measures were obtained for 40 countries for the years 1962-2008. Rates of combined homicide and suicide, ratio of suicide to combined violent death, and ratio between homicide and suicide were graphed and analyzed. A fixed effects regression model was then performed for unemployment rates and Gini coefficients on homicide, suicide, and combined death rates. RESULTS: For a majority of nation states, suicide comprised a substantial proportion (mean 75.51%; range 0-99%) of the combined rate of homicide and suicide. When combined, a small but significant relationship emerged between logged Gini coefficient and combined death rates (0.0066, p < 0.05), suggesting that the combined rate improves the ability to detect a significant relationship when compared to either rate measurement alone. Results were duplicated by age group, whereby combining death rates into a single measure improved statistical power, provided that the association was strong. CONCLUSIONS: Violent deaths, when combined, were associated with an increase in unemployment and an increase in Gini coefficient, creating a more robust variable. As the effects of macro-level factors (e.g., social and economic policies) on violent death rates in a population are shown to be more significant than those of micro-level influences (e.g., individual characteristics), these associations may be useful to discover. An expansion of socioeconomic variables and the inclusion of other forms of violence in future research could help elucidate long-term trends.