A new study reveals First Nations patients are more likely to leave Alberta emergency departments prematurely, often due to experienced racism
Researchers have identified that First Nations patients are more likely to leave Alberta emergency departments without receiving care compared to non-Indigenous patients.
They attribute part of the cause to anti-Indigenous racism, as reported by The Canadian Press.
According to a new study led by Patrick McLane from the University of Alberta, provincial data from 2012 to 2017 revealed that 6.8 percent of First Nations patients either left emergency departments before being seen or against medical advice.
In contrast, the rate for non-First Nations patients was 3.7 percent.
McLane explained that after adjusting for factors like patient demographics, geography, or types of diagnosis, First Nations status remained the sole apparent explanation for the discrepancy.
This conclusion was supported by interviews conducted from 2019 to 2022 with First Nations individuals, who recounted experiences of being subjected to stereotypical questions about substance use, overhearing racist comments, and feeling that they were made to wait longer than others for care.
Although the research focused on Alberta, McLane suggested that the findings likely reflect a broader trend applicable to emergency department visits throughout Canada. The study's results were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
