. 2023 Nov 30;7(1):764–772. doi: 10.1089/heq.2023.0036

Table 2.

Questions About Responses to Race-Based Medicine Created for This Study

Perceptions of race-based medicine
A. Attitudes toward race-based medicine 5-point scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” 1. It is appropriate for doctors to consider the race of their patients when prescribing medical treatments. 2. Algorithms used to make health risks assessments should be adjusted based on the race of the patient. 3. It makes sense that medical devices that measure biological functioning should use different calculations for people of different races. 4. It is appropriate for medical diagnoses and treatments to vary according to the patient's race. 5. Preventive health care should be tailored to patients based on their race. B. Race-based medicine scenarios 7-point scale of agreement with the doctor's decision/recommendation from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” 7-point scale of trust in the doctor's decision/recommendation from “to an extremely small extent” to “to an extremely large extent” 1. Jamaal goes to the doctor to get his kidney function tested. Although the lab results indicate that Jamaal's kidney function might be deteriorating, these results did not account for Black people's greater muscle mass and bone density. After making race corrections, the doctor decides that there is nothing to worry about. 2. At her last annual medical checkup, Vedika's BMI indicated that she was at the appropriate weight for her height. However, her primary physician suggested that Vedika cuts down on sugars and fats because, as an Asian woman, her higher visceral body fat placed her at increased risk for diabetes. 3. Jazmin has been suffering from hypertension for quite some time and decided to ask her primary care physician to prescribe an ACE inhibitor medication that helps manage hypertension. However, the doctor refused to prescribe the medication on the basis that they are less effective in Black patients and may impact her cardiovascular functioning. 4. Camila had a cesarean section for her first child but wanted to deliver her second child through vaginal birth. To advise Camila on her decision, her OB-GYN used the VBAC algorithm, which takes into account Camila's Hispanic identity. Based on the VBAC indicating that Camila had lower chances of successful vaginal birth, her OB-GYN advised against vaginal birth. 5. Both Molly and Aliyah have recently been suffering from arthritis, reporting similar levels of pain. During their last doctor appointments, they were both screened for osteoporosis and received the same risk estimation. However, Molly's risk estimation was bumped up by five points to correct for her White racial identity. The new score placed Molly in the high-risk category, prompting her doctor to conduct further medical examinations and intervene early.

Perceptions of race-based medicine

A. Attitudes toward race-based medicine
5-point scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”
1. It is appropriate for doctors to consider the race of their patients when prescribing medical treatments.
2. Algorithms used to make health risks assessments should be adjusted based on the race of the patient.
3. It makes sense that medical devices that measure biological functioning should use different calculations for people of different races.
4. It is appropriate for medical diagnoses and treatments to vary according to the patient's race.
5. Preventive health care should be tailored to patients based on their race.
B. Race-based medicine scenarios
7-point scale of agreement with the doctor's decision/recommendation from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”
7-point scale of trust in the doctor's decision/recommendation from “to an extremely small extent” to “to an extremely large extent”
1. Jamaal goes to the doctor to get his kidney function tested. Although the lab results indicate that Jamaal's kidney function might be deteriorating, these results did not account for Black people's greater muscle mass and bone density. After making race corrections, the doctor decides that there is nothing to worry about.
2. At her last annual medical checkup, Vedika's BMI indicated that she was at the appropriate weight for her height. However, her primary physician suggested that Vedika cuts down on sugars and fats because, as an Asian woman, her higher visceral body fat placed her at increased risk for diabetes.
3. Jazmin has been suffering from hypertension for quite some time and decided to ask her primary care physician to prescribe an ACE inhibitor medication that helps manage hypertension. However, the doctor refused to prescribe the medication on the basis that they are less effective in Black patients and may impact her cardiovascular functioning.
4. Camila had a cesarean section for her first child but wanted to deliver her second child through vaginal birth. To advise Camila on her decision, her OB-GYN used the VBAC algorithm, which takes into account Camila's Hispanic identity. Based on the VBAC indicating that Camila had lower chances of successful vaginal birth, her OB-GYN advised against vaginal birth.
5. Both Molly and Aliyah have recently been suffering from arthritis, reporting similar levels of pain. During their last doctor appointments, they were both screened for osteoporosis and received the same risk estimation. However, Molly's risk estimation was bumped up by five points to correct for her White racial identity. The new score placed Molly in the high-risk category, prompting her doctor to conduct further medical examinations and intervene early.

ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; BMI, body mass index; VBAC, vaginal birth after cesarean.