Workplace and Healthcare Discrimination Experiences and Choice of Medical Service Providers Among Ghanaian Immigrants in the United States

Background and Purpose: While research on Ghanaian immigrants’ experiences of discrimination is very scanty, no known research looks at Ghanaian immigrants’ experience of discrimination in employment and healthcare in the United States in a single study. This study contributes to filling the gap in the research by exploring the experiences of discrimination in the workplace and the healthcare system among the Ghanaian Immigrant population in the United States. The study also examined the population's trust in the medical system in the United States and the factors that influence the population’s preferences in the choice of medical service providers.

Research Question: Three questions guided the research: (a) Do Ghanaian immigrants experience discrimination differently in employment and the medical system? (b) How has the experience of discrimination impacted Black African immigrants’ trust in the medical system? (c) Would Ghanaian immigrants prefer doctors and medical workers of the same ethnicity and country of origin?

Method: The study adopted a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. The participants were recruited from the Ghanaian American population in New York City using a purposeful, convenient sampling strategy. Seven individuals were interviewed for the study using a semi-structured interview guide developed by the researcher. The data analysis involved a combination of semantic and latent coding to develop themes. The analysis was predominantly inductive, with the coding and themes guided by the meaning derived from the responses rather than a pre-conceived theory or framework.

Findings: The following are the study's findings: (a) Accent is the leading immigrant identifier for Ghanaian immigrants. (b) Ghanaian Americans experience discrimination in the workplace and employment, (c) Participants do not experience discrimination in the medical system. (d) Participants have high confidence in the medical system in the United States. (e) Doctor's competence is the paramount determinant for Ghanaian Americans when choosing doctors (f) Participants would prefer a competent doctor from their ethnicity and culture to enhance communication and understanding between them and the healthcare provider about their health issues.

Conclusion and Implication: The study suggests that discrimination experiences differ in employment and healthcare. The population can experience discrimination in employment and the workplace while having very positive experiences in the healthcare system, leading to high confidence in the healthcare system in the United States.

Social workers and policy implementers need to assess for discriminatory experiences Ghanaian immigrants and other Black immigrant populations encounter at the individual and systemic levels and advocate for policies and practice interventions to promote the rights and well-being of these vulnerable populations. Medical social workers should recognize that though Ghanaian immigrants may be satisfied with the medical services, the services may not be optimum when such services are received from providers of different ethnicities and cultures. Patient-doctor race and ethnicity concordance results in satisfactory health outcomes. Social workers should assist clients in finding competent service providers who are culturally attuned to clients’ needs.