Bias in Health Care Service Experienced by People with Long COVID or Chronic Illness: Lessons for the Public Health and Medical Community

Dear Colleagues,

Many people around the world report not being believed by medical professionals when experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. This has been especially evident for women and minority groups. Differences in treatment by medical professionals for people with chronic ‘invisible’ illnesses are not new. Vulnerable groups with invisible illnesses consistently report not being believed by medical professionals, and the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the rampant bias occurring worldwide in the health care system. More research providing solutions on how to reduce bias in health care is needed.

This Special Issue focuses on bias in health care services experienced by people with long COVID or chronic illness. It will highlight the experiences of various vulnerable groups. The collection of articles aims to encourage discussion around how to recognize and reduce bias in health care. Original research papers, reviews, commentaries, and case reports are welcome. We will accept manuscripts from different scientific fields, including but not limited to social epidemiology, global health, health policy, medical sociology, criminal justice, public health, public health law, and health service research. Research that highlights the extent to which bias in the medical community impacts the health and wellbeing of vulnerable groups from disadvantaged populations will be prioritized.

Dr. Margot Gage Witvliet
Guest Editor

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