Implicit Racial/Ethnic Bias Among Health Care Professionals and Its Influence on Health Care Outcomes

Description

This article describes a systematic review of studies looking at implicit bias among healthcare providers, and found that implicit (unconscious) bias among healthcare providers mirrors that of the general population, and was significantly related to patient–provider interactions, treatment decisions, treatment adherence, and patient health outcomes. Implicit attitudes were more often significantly related to patient–provider interactions and health outcomes than treatment processes. The articles concludes that interventions targeting implicit attitudes among health care professionals are needed because implicit bias may contribute to health disparities for people of color.