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GuB-42 • yesterday at 11:03 PM • 0 replies • view on HN

> For example, it is a common belief within the medical community that Black people have higher pain tolerance, and thus don't need as much or as strong of pain killers. People in pain sitting in beds in the ER will be delayed or refused pain killers because of this. This belief has been proven false, but it shows up in papers, notes, etc. and nurses and doctors still will treat their patients as if it's true.

Nurses and doctors don't refuse giving painkillers because they enjoy seeing their patients suffer, painkillers come with side effects. So they are trying to find a balance between preventing suffering and long term health. We can look at the wrong idea that black people have a higher pain tolerance as causing black patients unnecessary suffering, but you can also see it as protecting the long term health of black patients more. That's the same thing, just seen from a different angle.

But now that we know of this bias, we can of course try to fix it, but how. Now that we also have data: do black people have less painkiller-related problems? If they do, maybe we should give the black treatment to others, if they don't maybe they could get some more.