• PR: New Quick Safety Focuses on Implicit Bias (PDF) [REF: HR, LD, StEd] Perspectives May 2016, Vol 36, #4, Pg 4 JCp1605_B3

“On the eve of the 15th anniversary of two seminal reports from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) – Crossing the Quality Chasm and Unequal Treatment  – we find that racial and socioeconomic inequity persists in health care.” The April Issue of Quick Safety reviews the issue of implicit bias also known as hidden bias, unconscious or subconscious bias. It is a bias that may be involuntarily activated and outside of our awareness or intentional control. The article reports research that shows such bias is pervasive in health care and that it effects the quality of patient care and safety. Examples of the problem are given and recommended resources and actions are provided to help combat bias. For example, skills recommended for lowering racial bias included Perspective-taking, Emotional regulation and Partnership-building (see comments for more details).  Specific actions for health care providers included:

• Having a basic understanding of the cultures from which your patients come.
• Avoiding stereotyping your patients; individuate them.
• Understanding and respecting the magnitude of unconscious bias.
• Recognizing situations that magnify stereotyping and bias.
• Knowing the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (the National CLAS Standards).
•Performing “teach back (e.g., the National Patient Safety Foundation’s “Ask Me 3” educational program).
• Assiduously practicing “evidenced-based medicine.”
•Using techniques to de-bias patient care, which include training, intergroup contact, perspective-taking, emotional expression, and counter-stereotypical exemplars.

Tip1: Read Quick Safety 23: Implicity bias in health care for more details on skills needed to overcome bias and organization level actions.  and at least consider implementing the monitoring and awareness increasing strategies it suggests.
Tip2: If you have more specific concerns about bias in your organization, consider further assessing it with the Implicit Association Test (IAT) a tool created under Project Implicit.
See also: Comment section of this review for more details/resources.