| Summary: | Background: Racism is a structural system based on an ideology of inferiority, in which certain groups of people are considered less valuable than others. Ethnic discrimination means being discriminated because of your ethnicity. The nurses’ ethical code prescribes that patients should be treated with respect and empathy. According to Swedish law, no person should be treated unfairly in healthcare. Despite this, racism and ethnic discrimination occur in healthcare in Europe and can lead to ill health among those affected. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore patients' experiences of racism and ethnic discrimination in health care in Europe. Method: A literature review based on qualitative research. Ten articles were included, and the quality was deemed as high or moderate. These were retrieved through a database search in PubMed. Results: The results of this study showed that racism and ethnic discrimination occur in European health care. The results generated six different categories regarding how the experiences of racism and ethnic discrimination were experienced in healthcare. These were; language barriers, prejudices and generalization, downgrading, discrimination, not being taken seriously and mistrust of the system. Conclusion: Racism and ethnic discrimination in healthcare does not only lead to negative feelings among those affected but can also have devastating consequences for society and individuals. More studies are essential for understanding the problem. More training and information at work are required to help the healthcare workers to learn how to communicate and treat people in need of care equally. Keywords: Racism, ethnic discrimination, healthcare, experiences, Europe
|
|---|
