Discrimination for Real? Rigorous Examination of Ethnic Discrimination Within Swedish Primary Health Care

The aim of this study is to examine whether patients are subjected to ethnic discrimination when seeking medical care within the digital Swedish primary health care service: 1177-direct. In doing so, we aim to identify and statistically control for other major pathways through which treatment differences may arise and which do not constitute direct discrimination, e.g., ethnic group differences in comorbidity. The stored data from the "1177-direct" digital platform enable rigorous examination of discrimination of patients with different ethnic backgrounds that are matched in many respects (e.g., reported symptoms, comorbidity, socioeconomic status, gender). Discrimination as manifested by ethnic differences in health care professionals' patient-centered communication (from the digital chat) and medical treatment will be probed for. By pinpointing the mechanisms underlying unequal care (e.g., discrimination), the results should be of relevance to future interventions aimed at combating inequalities in health care.