Black people who live in areas where there are more Black primary care doctors live longer lives, according to a new study.
Published by the medical journal JAMA Network Open, the study, titled “Black Representation in the Primary Care Physician Workforce and Its Association With Population Life Expectancy and Mortality Rates in the US,” was conducted by researchers from the American Medical Association.
Looking at the information of over 1,600 counties in the U.S. with a minimum of one Black primary care physician, they examined the areas over the course of a decade. Specifically, the researchers tracked the counties in five-year intervals in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
In their findings, they found that the life expectancy of Black residents increased as the number of Black primary care physicians in the area also increased. Overall, Black residents who lived in counties with more Black physicians had a lower mortality rate from all health issues.
In general, life expectancy increased by just over a month for every 10% increase in Black physicians. There were also lower disparities between Black and white residents when it came to the mortality rates. With every 10% increase of Black physicians, the racial disparity in mortality rates decreased by 1.2%.
“Physician-patient race concordance for Black individuals appears to often be associated with
improved outcome metrics in some of these arenas, and some Black patients may prefer to seek care from racially concordant physicians due in part to the value placed on certain shared aspects of culture and experience,” said the researchers in their editorial published with the study.
“A more diverse workforce in research and leadership roles, able to leverage a wide array of personal and professional experiences in such positions, can additionally aid in shaping more broadly relevant and inclusive research and policy agendas.”
As studies continue to establish the benefits of Black patients getting the care of Black doctors, there’s an expected increase in Black doctors in the U.S. According to a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges released in December of 2022, the number of Black applicants has increased for the 2022-23 academic year at U.S. medical schools. Overall, there was a 9% increase in Black students who enrolled to continue their medical studies.
“We know that more diversity in the physician workforce builds trust and enhances the physician-patient relationship, translating into better health outcomes,” said President and CEO of AAMC, David Skorton, per the release. “The AAMC and our member medical schools are committed to increasing the number of both applicants and matriculants from historically underrepresented groups.”
