Rationale for Correct Answer

The correct answer is: Providers and health care facilities should establish protocols for discussing barriers to care with patients

Providers should have a protocol in place in their practice for discussing and addressing potential barriers to care and a knowledge of community resources that can help.1 They can also participate in racial awareness and implicit bias training; the increased awareness helps people address bias that they see in themselves and in others in their practice.1 Although accepting all patients regardless of their ability to pay is not a viable option in private practice, clinicians can spend some of their time working in community clinics and providing community education programs.1 Although there are active steps that providers can take, change at the level of social policy is also necessary. Social determinants of health are interrelated and difficult to address; for example, in the United States, Black individuals have greater exposure to many environmental factors associated with IBD.2 Therefore, social policy changes need to address multiple factors, including both race and socioeconomics.

References:
1. Anyane-Yeboa A et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;20(11):2427-34;
2. Liu JJ et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2023;29(2):297-307.