As it turns out, a recent study by the Urban Institute analyzed 2017 discharge data from 2,347 hospitals in 26 states and found worrying trends. “Black patients systematically experience higher rates of adverse safety events compared to white patients treated in the same hospital, particularly in the case of injuries or illnesses sustained during or after surgery,” said Anuj Gangopadhyaya, PhD, the study’s lead researcher . This means that black patients in the same hospital are at a higher risk of harm.

To find out exactly how safe (or unsafe) hospitals are for patients, the researchers used 11 patient safety indicators – criteria created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that identify preventable events that affect a patient’s health and safety. Research at the same hospital suggests that black adult patients were at higher risk of injury, ranging from pressure ulcers to life-threatening conditions like sepsis, where the body tries to fight infection by damaging its own tissues. Postoperative bleeding or bleeding after surgery was also more common. Conditions such as pulmonary embolism – which occurs when a blood clot becomes lodged in an artery in the lungs – and deep vein thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot lodges in one of the deep veins in the leg – are also more common in black patients. Research also suggests higher rates of respiratory failure and acute kidney damage requiring dialysis.

What is more? Insurance coverage has not improved Black’s patient safety. The researchers expected that the gap in poorer outcomes would narrow when analyzing data from black and white patients receiving Medicaid, but there was no significant change. “This suggests that both hospital systems and providers are permeated with potentially discriminatory practices,” says Gangopadhyaya. And while medical racism and discrimination put individuals at risk, it has wider implications. “In the long term, it undermines patients’ trust in their doctors and the healthcare system,” says Gangopadhyaya.

Recent public talks about blacks and vaccine reluctance have identified the Tuskegee syphilis experiment (which intentionally left hundreds of black men untreated for 40 years) as a potential culprit. The experiment may be a factor for some, but modern experiences of unfair treatment and harm are paramount. Well + Good previously reported that 2005 research suggested blacks distrust the health system because they have solid evidence from their own lives. This new study from the Urban Institute quantifies a lived experience all too familiar to blacks seeking quality medical care.

Yes, patient safety results are just one example of how white supremacy affects blacks and other colored people, but Gangopadhyaya says reducing health inequalities is critical. Recommendations suggested in the study include: Require implicit and explicit prejudice training to help healthcare workers understand how prejudice can affect care. In addition, the researchers advocate strict adherence to clinical guidelines for all patients with an auditing process that allows hospitals to evaluate performance.

Gangopadhyaya also says insurance companies need to investigate why black customers are receiving different standards of care for the same services as their white customers. “Resources need to be focused not only on ensuring that disadvantaged minority patients have access to quality hospitals, but also on ensuring that quality hospitals provide standardized care for their patient population,” he says.

Finally, the Gangopadhyaya team requested that patients know how to file complaints and defend themselves against unfair treatment. They mention that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services require hospitals to inform all patients of their rights, including the right to openly voice concerns and complaints about the treatment they are receiving. While blacks should never having to bear the burden of saving their own lives, learning how to stand up for themselves and tackling unfair treatment could help keep pressures for more systemic change going.