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Primary Submission Category: Health care/services

Exploring public attitudes about religiously affiliated health care settings in the U.S.

Authors:  Marian Ali, Margaret Tait,

Presenting Author: Marian Ali*

Background: A considerable percentage of U.S. healthcare institutions are religiously affiliated, yet we know relatively little about how these affiliations shape public attitudes regarding trust and fairness in healthcare or if individuals are aware of a healthcare institution’s religious affiliations. The present research examines whether people recognize the religious affiliation of a health system, and how they perceive the  quality of care, bias, and institutional trust based on the religious identity of a hospital. We focus on Muslim communities because there are no religiously affiliated health systems in the U.S. that are affiliated with the Muslim faith.

 

Methods: This analysis of pilot data (n=52) will focus on descriptive statistics of perceptions of fairness, discrimination, and bias in religiously affiliated healthcare settings, presenting results among Muslim and non-Muslim respondents. Additionally, qualitative analyses will be conducted on an open-ended question assessing whether respondents recognize the religious affiliation of a hospital, providing deeper insight into how institutional identity shapes perceptions of healthcare access and equity.

 

Results:  Among all respondents, 60% reported that the religious affiliation of a hospital, when different from their own, deters them from seeking care there. Considering the sample of respondents who identify as Muslim, this value is 70%. When asked about trust, 15% responded that they disagree that their medical needs would be placed above all considerations. Preliminary analyses of open-ended comments suggest low public awareness of the role of religious affiliation in healthcare provision. 

 

Conclusion: The research has significant implications for healthcare access, policy-making, and religious diversity in medical institutions. Informing patients of possible limitations of services and rights as healthcare consumers is necessary to ensure trust and fairness in treatment.