It has been pulled from sale (Picture: Twitter)

A ‘racist’ nursing textbook which listed stereotypes including about Jews, black people and Muslims has been pulled from sale.

Under the heading of ‘Diversity and Culture’, it claimed that Jewish people ‘may be vocal and demanding’ if they are in pain while black people ‘report higher pain intensity than other cultures’.

The Pearson textbook, which also listed dubious ‘facts’ about Native Americans, Hispanic and Chinese people, was published in 2015.

It has been criticised for perpetuating harmful ideas about how minorities supposedly react to pain differently.


‘No wonder black patients have such dismal rates of having their pain managed,’ Kate Sophia wrote on Twitter. ‘Nurses taught they just *say* it’s more intense’.

The page about ‘diversity’ (Picture: @Rocza/Twitter)

this "minorities want to feel pain" reads like "deny them pain medication" or "double dose them with opiates" and both are terrible https://t.co/PFbobBdpyl — Janine Snow Queen (@therummyj) October 19, 2017

Yes my Jewish ass is demanding of assistance when I'm in the hospital. @coffeespoonie @localwinemom did you see this shit?! — ‎שֵׁײנָא מַרְגָלִית?lynds (@LRwriter) October 17, 2017

No wonder black patients have such dismal rates of having their pain managed. Nurses taught they just *say* it's more intense. https://t.co/PxR6ixHfbz — Kate Sophia (@kasuso) October 19, 2017

this "minorities want to feel pain" reads like "deny them pain medication" or "double dose them with opiates" and both are terrible https://t.co/PFbobBdpyl — Janine Snow Queen (@therummyj) October 19, 2017

What the actual fcuk? " Native Americans tend to express themselves less clearly?" I've also never asked for "Shaman Blessed Medication" — Atená:ti Kanien'kehá (@1mattbritton1) October 18, 2017

I mean, if you want to talk about cultural variation in response to pain surely they should also include "whites". With dismissive language. — Talie Low (@TalieLow) October 18, 2017

It claimed that Muslims ‘may not request pain medication but instead thank Allah for pain’ while Asian people who say they are in pain are ‘thought to have poor social skills’.



The ‘offensive content’ in the US textbook Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning, Volume I will be removed from publication, publisher Pearson announced.

We have been notified of offensive content in a Nursing textbook. We are removing this content from publication. — Pearson (@pearson) October 18, 2017

Leaving a one star review on Amazon, Judy Davison wrote: ‘You have printed all these generalisations and assumptions as though they are facts. They are not – they are offensive and racist.’

Racial bias in healthcare is recognised as leading to worse care for many patients who aren’t white.

Criticising the textbook, David Zhou said on Twitter: ‘You’re delusional if you don’t think this affects pain management decisions at the bedside.’

In a statement, Pearson said: ‘We have been notified of offensive content in a Nursing textbook. We are removing this content from publication.

‘We apologise for the offense this has caused and appreciate the concern and feedback we have received.

‘We agree that it is wrong. We have removed it from current electronic and future print editions and apologise for its publication.’

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