• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Black women are at greater risk of maternal death in the UK – here’s what needs to be done

June 1, 2023
in Article
Black women are at greater risk of maternal death in the UK – here’s what needs to be done
Poorer maternity care may be one explanation. zulufoto/ Shutterstock

Black women are four times more likely to die while pregnant or just after childbirth than white women, according to the latest figures published by Mbrrace – a national programme which surveys and investigates the causes of maternal deaths and infant deaths in the UK. Although this report only includes data from 2019-2021, reports from previous years show maternal mortality rates have been largely unchanged for the last decade or more.

The reason for this racial disparity still isn’t fully understood. It’s likely due to a combination of many factors, including socioeconomic status and pre-existing health conditions. Numerous reports have also shown that black women receive poorer maternity care compared with women from other ethnic backgrounds, which may further contribute to poorer health outcomes.

But in order to improve maternal outcomes for black women, work will need to be done at every level of the NHS to fix a root cause of these racial disparities in care – a concept philosophers call epistemic injustice.

Epistemic injustice is defined as unfairly preventing someone from properly communicating their ideas or making sense of their experiences. This typically happens when someone is biased against a person – for example, due to their race or social class. This leads to them to downplay the other person’s credibility.

Examples of this in maternity care include patients having concerns about their health and their pregnancy dismissed or treated as trivial, being passed off as “dramatic”, questions being brushed aside or not taken seriously, and practitioners not taking patients’ pain seriously. By denying someone credibility, it may make them feel less able to request care and raise worries.

Racial prejudice

Numerous studies have highlighted the ways that epistemic injustice is present in real-world healthcare settings. Often, racial prejudice is a root cause.

For example, research shows that white health workers are more likely to disbelieve reports of pain by black patients and less likely to provide them with proper pain relief, compared with white patients. Reports have also found that when black women raise health concerns, they’re often dismissed – even in severe cases, such as instances where c-section stitches are bleeding and infected.

A 2022 report by the Black Equity Organisation, which works to dismantle systemic racism in the UK, found that more than 65% of respondents reported they’d been discriminated against because of their ethnicity by healthcare professionals. The NHS Race and Health Observatory has made similar conclusions, showing many black patients experience patronising and judgemental attitudes from healthcare staff.

An expectant mother cradles her stomach while speaking with her doctor.
Healthcare workers may be more likely to dismiss the health concerns of black mothers.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Knowledge gaps in healthcare research are another example of epistemic injustice. Black people have historically been underrepresented in research studies and continue to be so.

One reason for this may be their experiences of racism from doctors, which fosters distrust and discourages black people from participating in research studies. But researchers are also slow to engage with black participants and close these knowledge gaps. Many justify this lack of engagement on feeble grounds – for instance, by insisting black women are hard to recruit.

This lack of representation can lead to knowledge gaps at every level – including in the medical guidelines used to identify and diagnose certain diseases. Take the recent case of a black infant who was not diagnosed and treated for jaundice as quickly as she should have been. Although multiple blood tests showed high blood levels of bilirubin (a symptom of jaundice), healthcare staff were still relying on visual signs to detect jaundice – and these aren’t typically as evident in darker-skinned patients.

Although just one example, this highlights the way knowledge gaps make it harder for staff to understand the distinct care needs and experiences of black patients. This may lead to worse health outcomes for these patients, and further diminish levels of trust the black community has in healthcare practitioners and institutions.

Making change

While the negative impacts of epistemic injustice on the maternal healthcare that black women receive is clear, addressing these problems within the NHS will require change at nearly every level.

A report on black maternal health by the House of Commons’ Women & Equalities Committee, published in March 2023, suggests some measures are already being taken by Health Education England to improve cultural competence and address racism in maternal care. But training staff to improve “cultures of kindness” and to “listen and make sure women are heard” will not be enough to fully address the complex causes of these disparities in black maternal health.

Current NHS strategies such as hiring more diverse staff and rethinking research priorities are one step in the right direction. By having staff from more diverse backgrounds, there’s a greater likelihood they will be able to sympathise with patients and understand their experiences. Moreover, having more research which has included black patients will help healthcare staff better respond to the specific health needs of these patients.

But such strategies risk falling short if they are not explicitly aimed at targeting systemic racism and prejudice in the NHS.

For maternal mortality, midwifery training needs to directly challenge the racist stereotypes that drive some healthcare staff to deny the credibility of others’ testimonies. Gynaecology and obstetric researchers must proactively include black women in their studies to ensure their distinctive needs and concerns are met. This may in turn improve medical care for women from all backgrounds.

The Conversation

Ian James Kidd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post

Billions is spent on cancer research globally – but is it money well spent?

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

April 29, 2024
Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times

Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times

January 30, 2024
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS