Badass Britt Jun 27

This morning in *I’m so tired of Alberta and its disjointed medical system.* (with humour)

So, I’m filling out a form prior to a minor medical test/procedure for a new specialist.

The form says at THE VERY TOP:

“Ethnicity _____”
“What country were you born in?”

I’ve seen A LOT of the medical system and I’ve never, ever been asked that before on a medical form.

Fuck. Off.

Maybe I should fill in the blanks with such words?

Tim HergertJun 27
Show threadBadass Britt 

Added context to above post:

Edmonton has a high population of immigrants and I think that asking those questions (as a white immigrant) on a written form has a high probability of causing people to be stigmatized or to be treated differently due to their country of origin or ethnicity.

I also think it’s a human rights and privacy issue.

Jun 27 at 2:11pmWeb
Show thread🔥Cassandra🔥Jun 27
@britt HOW IS THAT RELEVANT TO MEDICAL TREATMENT???!!!!
Show threadC++ Wage SlaveJun 27

@Cassandra

Off the top of my head: your nationality and birth country affect the vaccinations and other medical treatments you're likely to have received, the diseases you're likely to have been exposed to, and perhaps the food you grew up on, any hardships you endured (such as severe weather or malnutrition), and religious or cultural sensitivities. They also influence the difficulty of getting access to your medical records.

I have no idea why the form asks these questions in practice, but there are valid reasons for them to do so.

@britt

Show thread🔥Cassandra🔥Jun 27

@CppGuy Hmm. It does seem like a bit of a proxy for more specific information, and putting it right at the top seems aggressive and intimidating (especially in an era of deportation), and I'm skeptical about what percent of doctors are concerned about religious and cultural sensitivities and the importance of a complete file. BUT. Thank you for those points.

@britt

Show threadC++ Wage SlaveJun 27

@Cassandra

Yep, agreed on all counts.

@britt

Show threadBadass Britt Jun 27

@Cassandra @CppGuy especially given that our provincial government recently said the quiet part out loud - they want to withhold social services to immigrants.

Like. No. Ugh. 😑

Show threadC++ Wage SlaveJun 27

@britt

Oh, now that I didn't know. 🤮

@Cassandra

Show threadAmelia Bellamy-Royds Jun 27
@Cassandra @britt Your past history of where you've lived is relevant for what infectious illnesses you may have been exposed to & which vaccines you would have likely given. But yeah, this should be part of the detailed medical history, not the intake form.
Show threadBadass Britt Jun 27

@Cassandra RIGHT?!! It was for a scan. Nothing more. I’ve had dozens. Never been asked that. So weird.

At least add (optional) before things like this… at the very least.