African-Americans trust health workers less than other ethnic groups do, a new study out in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that African-Americans were "were significantly more likely than whites to report low trust in health care providers." The authors point at high unisurance levels as the source of problem, arguing that a lack of coverage forces patients into emergency rooms and clinics and encounters with unfamiliar providers. The study found no correlation between provider ethnicity and levels of trust for either African-Americans or white patients.
- see this article from The Washington Post