Chloë FitzGerald|Samia Hurst
Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review
University of Geneva|University of Geneva
implicit biases involve associations outside conscious awareness lead negative evaluation person basis irrelevant characteristics race gender review examines evidence healthcare professionals display implicit biases towards patientspubmed psychinfo psycharticle cinahl searched peerreviewed articles published 1st march 2003 31st march 2013 two reviewers assessed eligibility identified papers based precise content quality criteria references eligible papers examined identify eligible studiesforty two articles identified eligible seventeen used implicit measure implicit association test fifteen subliminal priming two test biases healthcare professionals twenty five articles employed betweensubjects design using vignettes examine influence patient characteristics healthcare professionals attitudes diagnoses treatment decisions second method included although isolate implicit attitudes recognised psychologists specialise implicit cognition way detecting possible presence implicit bias twenty seven studies examined racialethnic biases ten biases investigated including gender age weight thirty five articles found evidence implicit bias healthcare professionals studies investigated correlations found significant positive relationship level implicit bias lower quality carethe evidence indicates healthcare professionals exhibit levels implicit bias wider population interactions multiple patient characteristics healthcare professional patient characteristics reveal complexity phenomenon implicit bias influence clinicianpatient interaction convincing studies review combine iat method measuring quality treatment actual world correlational evidence indicates biases likely influence diagnosis treatment decisions levels care circumstances need investigated review also indicates may sometimes gap norm impartiality extent embraced healthcare professionals tested characteristicsour findings highlight need healthcare profession address role implicit biases disparities healthcare research actual care settings greater homogeneity methods employed test implicit biases healthcare needed