Hashtag I Have A Pre-Existing Condition is Making Waves

Hashtag I Have A Pre-Existing Condition was created in order to highlight people who may not fit the image of someone who has a pre-existing condition but has one. Unfortunately, people are medically profiled based on appearance, race, sex, financial status, disability, and/or age. This is important to highlight, especially in the error of COVID-19, where it is widely announced that "you do not have to worry about COVID unless you have a pre-existing condition." The insensitive brush-off that many people face because they don't "look sick" causes many to be overlooked when they seek medical assistance. This can cause someone to prolong seeking a medical professional, and when they do, they can be misdiagnosed because they don't fit a bias that the medical professional had in their heads about their patient. This is why it's important for:

1). Medical professionals treat each patient equally. This means, do not medically profile your patients. Look at every single patient, with a clean slate and an open mind. You never know what brought them into your office in the first place. Even if your assumptions ARE correct, your preconceived notions will create unnecessary biases and close your mind to the possibility of something else. Plus this can limit your relationship with your patient if you are listening to how they feel.

2). It's important to know that regardless of what someone looks like, anyone can have a pre-existing condition. It is not based on what you can see with the naked eye. People of all different backgrounds can be living with a chronic condition that will put them at risk if they get COVID or any other illness. It's important to be respectful and kind to people.

To follow the testimonies of the post, visit Twitter and type in #ihaveapreexistingcondition.