Sunday, October 01, 2006

O atendimento clínico em função da aparencia


Lemos aqui, algo que nos deixa perturbados, mas não surpreendidos: "A study found GPs (General Practitioners) perceived affluent patients as more attractive than patients from deprived backgrounds".

Nesse estudo, realizado pelo Royal Society of Medicine journal, tiram-se as seguintes conclusões:
  • Based on the images alone, GPs rated patients from higher socio-economic backgrounds as being more attractive than their poorer peers.
  • Younger patients were also rated as more attractive than older patients.
  • The average difference in measures of attractiveness between affluent and deprived patients was the equivalent of 30 years - the difference between someone aged 30 and someone aged 60.
  • The difference was also more pronounced among the GPs working in the most socio-economically deprived areas.

Ainda que o Professor Mayur Lakhani, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, refira "I want to reassure the public that GPs take seriously their duty to provide patients with high quality care irrespective of their background. Good general practice has an important role in helping the disadvantaged".


O Professor Mayur Lakhani também refere isto, "We must, however, remain vigilant about the issue to ensure that the NHS does everything possible to reduce health inequalities".