Bias and discrimination occur at both the interpersonal and the institutional level of healthcare.
Bias can lead to people receiving poor treatment, receiving inaccurate diagnoses, or experiencing delays in diagnosis
. It can also lead to stress, which can worsen health conditions.
What is bias in health care?
The term ‘bias’ is typically used to refer to both
implicit stereotypes and prejudices
and raises serious concerns in healthcare. Psychologists often define bias broadly; such as ‘the negative evaluation of one group and its members relative to another’ [2].
How do biases influence us?
Biased tendencies can also affect our professional lives.
They can influence actions and decisions such as whom we hire or promote, how we interact with persons of a particular group, what advice we consider, and how we conduct performance evaluations
.
How does unconscious bias affect healthcare?
Evidence shows that medical conclusions can be based just as much on who a person is as on the symptoms they present. Unconscious bias
can lead to false assumptions and negative outcomes
. This is especially dangerous in healthcare, where decisions can mean life or death.
Bias is defined as
the negative evaluation of one group and its members relative to another
.
1
. Explicit bias requires that a person is aware of his/her evaluation of a group and believes that evaluation is accurate.
What are biases in nursing?
Studies show
implicit bias
among nurses is commonly directed toward the elderly; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons; and obese patients. This bias hinders nurse-patient relationships, nurses’ assessments, and patient care. Implicit bias affects both patients and nurses.
How does implicit bias by physicians affect patients health care?
Certain combinations of physicians and patients lead to poorer interactions, specifically those in which physicians are high in implicit bias and
patients are high in mistrust of the medical system and reported past discrimination
.
Does implicit bias have an impact on patients?
Research shows that implicit biases based on race, gender, sexual orientation, weight, health insurance and other group identifications
can affect how healthcare providers interact with patients in several ways
. These include: the quality of the clinical interview. the diagnostic decision-making.
How does the community health nurse recognize bias and stereotypes?
Nurses should also understand the assumptions that trigger in them-
A patient’s race, accent, clothing style, or appearance
can spark an instant judgment in nurses, therefore, understanding this aspect will help recognize the bias.
How does bias affect people’s opinions and views?
This error in perception
may cause us to believe that other people agree with our decisions and actions
–even when they don’t. Since people have a tendency to associate with other people with similar opinions and views, we also think those people see things the same way we do.
How does bias affect the workplace?
In some more severe cases, strong preferential bias of any kind can lead to
workplace bullying, unlawful harassment or discrimination putting businesses at high risk of reputational damage and any associated financial costs as issues develop
.
How do you deal with biases you experience from others?
- Increase contact with people who are different from you. …
- Notice positive examples. …
- Be specific in your intent. …
- Change the way you do things. …
- Heighten your awareness. …
- Take care of yourself.
How does bias affect public health research and policy?
Bias related to methodological flaws or conflicts of interest (COI)
can produce poor-quality, inaccurate studies
. Policy and practice guidelines that are based on poor-quality research can have negative effects on individuals and populations.
How do stereotypes affect healthcare?
An American national study has found people who encountered the threat of being judged by negative stereotypes related to weight, age, race, gender, or social class in health care settings were
more likely to have hypertension, be depressed, and to rate their own health more poorly
.
Why is it important to address diversity biases prior to providing patient care?
Espousing diversity in healthcare can lead to cultural competency, the ability of healthcare providers to offer services that meet the unique social, cultural, and linguistic needs of their patients. In short,
the better a patient is represented and understood, the better they can be treated
.
What are the different types of bias that may be present in healthcare from patients and medical professionals?
- Racial Bias. …
- Gender Bias. …
- Sexual and Gender Minority Bias. …
- Disability Bias.
How can patient care avoid bias?
- Consider other perspectives. How do things look or feel from another point of view? …
- Slow down. To recognize biases, don’t rush through an interaction and respond instinctively. …
- Get to know the individual. Gather specific information about the other person to prevent stereotyping.
What is implicit bias in medicine?
Implicit attitudes were more often significantly related to patient–provider interactions and health outcomes than treatment processes. Conclusions. Most health care providers appear to have implicit bias in terms of
positive attitudes toward Whites and negative attitudes toward people of color
.
What is implicit bias and why is it important?
Implicit bias is often defined as
being prejudiced or unsupported judgments in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared to another in a way that is usually considered unfair
. This kind of bias occurs automatically as the brain makes judgments based on past experiences, education and background.
How does implicit bias affect decision-making?
While most people believe decision-making is a rational process, research has proven that implicit bias
can lead you to certain conclusions without your conscious awareness
. For learning leaders, this can affect people throughout an organization.
Why is it important to be aware of societal biases when treating a patient?
Examine your own biases
We all have unconscious biases and prejudices that impact our relationships with patients. Identifying and understanding these biases
helps to control them
, and is essential to achieving cultural awareness.
