Association Between Provider-Patient Racial Concordance and the Maternal Health Experience During Pregnancy

Abstract

The main objectives of this study were to collect data on the patient-provider relationship and evaluate the association between patient-provider racial concordance and patient experience during pregnancy. This area of study is important to analyze given the racial disparities that exist in the current healthcare system within the United States. The survey contained 26 questions and was self-administered using Qualtrics. Facebook was used as the means to recruit study participants in the Columbus, Ohio area between January–March 2021. The survey was retrospective, internet-based, anonymous, and completely voluntary and yielded a total of 14 respondents. The close-ended responses were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and the open-ended responses were considered qualitatively. Due to limited sample size, we did not see statistically significant associations between racial concordance and our variables of interest. However, the open-ended comments that we received reveal nuances and concerns in the maternal health field, including the value of support and guidance from other women who have been pregnant, and patients’ increasing comfort with self-advocacy with the provider over time. Participants made suggestions for ways their experiences could be improved. This area of research needs to be further investigated as data connecting patient race with provider race and how that can affect the patient experience are not readily available.