Racism in healthcare (RiGeV)

Racism in healthcare can affect the health and well-being of healthcare users, may create structural problems and can lead to an unequal distribution of healthcare resources. To date, there is little empirical evidence on racism in the German healthcare system.

The RiGeV project aims to close this gap by analysing racism in healthcare using a mixed-methods approach. RiGeV compromises three sub-projects. One of these sub-projects is being conducted at Witten/Herdecke University and includes a social media and document analysis as well as a quantitative online survey of healthcare users about their experiences of discrimination in the healthcare system. In addition, a quantitative survey of hospitals and rehabilitation facilities is conducted to examine the counselling and complaint mechanisms available in cases of discrimination to explore how organisations handle feedback from healthcare users.

The results will be used to identify starting points for organisational change within healthcare facilities and to raise awareness of the issue of racism in healthcare.