In a world that too often marginalizes people based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, body size, or disability, medicine can often be no different. Far from "doing no harm," it treats some patients unfairly, leading to detrimental effects. Guided by diverse patient testimonies and case studies, Microaggressions in Medicine focuses on the harms that such patients face. It amplifies their voices, stories, and experiences, which have too-often been excluded from mainstream bioethical, medical, and popular discussions. Microaggressions in medicine are not rare, but frequent in the healthcare experiences of marginalized patients. Recognizing this can help patients better understand and make sense of their experiences. As bioethicists Lauren Freeman and Heather Stewart argue, building such an awareness can also help current and future healthcare professionals recognize the serious and enduring consequences that microaggressions have on their patients. Freeman and Stewart offer practical strategies for healthcare professionals to reduce microaggressions in their practices. The harms of microaggressions are anything but micro. Healthcare professionals have a moral obligation to prevent them as much as possible. Health equity can be achieved, but only through first recognizing the harm caused by microaggressions in medical contexts. Shining a light on microaggressions in medicine and offering concrete ways for health professionals to avoid them in the future will make a positive difference in the lives of marginalized patients as they interact with medical institutions and practitioners. All patients deserve high quality, patient-centered care but healthcare professionals must change their practices in order to achieve such equity.

About the Author
Lauren Freeman is Professor of Philosophy at University of Louisville; Director of the M.A. in Applied Philosophy; and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is the co-editor of Microaggressions and Philosophy (2020) and was editor of The American Philosophical Association's journal Studies in Feminism and Philosophy (2019-2022). Heather Stewart is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Oklahoma State University.

Reviews
At once theoretically robust and immensely practical, Microaggressions in Medicine offers a new framework to help both patients and providers understand how pervasive, seemingly 'minor' experiences of harm within the medical system all-to-often lead to major, devastating consequences. This book-especially the tips for healthcare professionals to reduce microaggressions in their practices-should be required reading in medical schools. * Maya Dusenbery, Author of Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick *
Microaggressions in Medicine offers readers a thorough account of microaggressions that centers the experiences of those harmed by forms of injustice all too-common in health care. Freeman and Stewart demonstrate the nature of these harms and their impacts with precision and care and offer readers concrete strategies for reducing microaggressions in clinical practice. Microaggressions in Medicine is an invaluable tool for clinicians that skillfully weaves together theory, case studies, and tangible guidance on providing more just and equitable care. * Zena Sharman, Author of The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory and Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health, The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care, Persistence: All Things Butch and Femme *
Microaggressions are not only a vexing problem in daily interactions, but also appear in medical contexts where they can cause distress in patients, reduce adherence to medical advice, and even cause patients to avoid care altogether. Freeman and Stewart take readers through the medical impact of microaggressions on patients to the oft-ignored history of the concept and into the thick of debates about how to classify and understand these events. This is an important and insightful work that should be widely read, from medical professionals to diversity scholars. * Monnica Williams, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor, Canada Research Chair, School Psychology, University of Ottawa *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197652497
Author Lauren Freeman
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 363g
Dimensions(mm) 145mm * 201mm * 28mm