Does race have an influence on patients' feelings toward physicians?

Much debate has been waged over the use of race as a criterion for admission to medical school. This study reports data relative to this issue, derived from interviews with 66 patients (40 black, 21 white, and 5 Mexican-American) of three family physicians (Asian, black, and white) in a county medical clinic serving welfare and low-income patients. There were no significant differences in responses to each of 18 questions among the different racial groups of patients regardless of physicians seen. There were also no significant differences in responses among the different racial groups for each physicians' patients were compared in the aggregate (not divided into racial groups). Patients strongly agreed that it was important for the physician to be caring and competent and to listen to and understand what they had to say. They disagreed that these qualities were affected by the physician's race and did not seem to have a racial preference in their physician.