 Race, ethnicity and language has consistently proven to have a significant impact on how physicians perceive and interact with patients.According to a study of 618 medical encounters between mainly Caucasian physicians and Caucasian and African American patients, physicians perceived African Americans to be less intelligent and educated, less likely to be interested in an active lifestyle, and more likely to have substance abuse problems than Caucasians.Studies in Los Angeles emergency departments have found that Hispanic males and African Americans were less than half likely to receive pain medication than Caucasians, despite physicians' estimates that patients were experiencing an equivalent level of pain.