What Is Bias In Health Care

Discriminatory practice in health and social care happens for many reasons including some important factors that are normally the cause of discriminatory practice for example a person may be discriminated against because on the basis of their diversity. One important discriminatory practice is because of culture. A person’s Culture is important to them and identifies who they are in the world. It is developed within the social group they are raised in, and can change when they are mature enough to decide for their selves what culture best suit them. In addition respecting a person’s culture is

It is important as healthcare providers that we take steps to reduce our personal bias in the care we provide for our patients. If our personal bias perceptions obscure our view of a situation it can affect the patients’ compliance to care and ultimately the outcomes. First, we must recognize and understand our own thoughts and beliefs regarding the situation at hand. Bucknor-Ferron (2016) refers to this as personal awareness and explains that observation of our own perceptions produces awareness of how others may perceive us. Following recognition, the provider should be aware of any conflicting issues so that s/he approaches the situation in a non-judgmental manner. This step produces accountability and responsibility of the provider to subdue bias responses or actions that may follow (Bucknor-Ferron,

I am a Brazilian black male with military experience and diplomatic knowledge who grew up in a low-income household in a developing country. In addition, I have traveled to about 35 countries and am acquainted with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups and nationalities. These characteristics and experiences allow me to see the world from perspectives that are unusual for most people. Besides being open-minded and non- judgemental toward all my future patients, I personally understand the difficulties faced by people of color, immigrants and individuals from low-income families. In sum, my background and my cultural literacy will allow me to be a sensitive and culturally aware patient-centered care.

The best way to combat prior-held stereotypes that providers have about minorities in the clinical setting is to completely integrate it into their medical education. Cultural competency curricula in medical schools should not be an additional class or lesson added on top of their normal classes. It should be integrated into every lesson and every discussion about disease and medical care. They should be taught to consider how their actions in every step of the clinical encounter can contribute to health disparities, and how to work against

Health care providers receive little or no training on issues of race and racism. As a result, awareness of racism and its impact on health care delivery is low. Until racial issues are honestly addressed by members of the health care team, it is unlikely that we will see significant improvements in racial health care disparities for Americans. Barriers to racial health care equity therefore includes the health care system (insurance, funding), the patient (poor health literacy, fear, mistrust), the community (awareness, advocacy), and the health care providers (bias, attitudes, expectations, stereotyping). Nelson, (2016).

Núñez (2000) states that culture molds the beliefs and behaviors of individuals and influences what they deem suitable (p. 1072). These preconceived beliefs, or biases, can have a negative effect when applied in healthcare situations. Studies show that biased care by healthcare professionals is directly associated with health inequity (Nazione, 2015, p. 954). It is estimated that the economy spends $300 billion annually due to health inequity and health disparities (Wong, Laveist, & Sharfstein, 2015, p. 1417). It is our responsibility as advanced practice nurses that we advocate for our patients to improve their outcomes and implement interventions to help others reduce bias as well.

In my counseling the older adult class we discussed in great detail the different types of culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. and how it affects the way we as health care providers of helpers should approach a person. I’ve learned in my ongoing time here at CMC that there are all kinds of diversity within the healthcare field, amongst the doctors, case managers, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and others caregivers. There is also a lot of diversity within the patients’ in the hospital. Some patients’ come from within the community and some may just be visiting or coming from surrounding communities. Along with the difference in community and backgrounds that the patients’ come from they also vary by illness or healthcare need. At first it is hard to realize the difference among those that come

Everyone has personal biases, such as a favorite color or type of car they dislike. These biases/ stereotypes/ prejudices have an impact on our values and the way we interact with the world around us. One, especially in a health care field, do what they can to find out these biases/ stereotypes/ prejudices so that they can check them at the door. You must be honest with yourself

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published reports on the unequal treatment of patients based on Racial and Ethnic Disparities. According to some research, healthcare providers might be using bias, prejudice, and stereotyping to give unequal treatment to patients.

Currently the U.S. is in trouble, “[ranking] a clear last on measures of equity”. Americans with below-average incomes were much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick; not getting a recommended test, treatment, or follow-up care; or not filling a prescription or skipping doses when needed because of costs” (Davis, Schoen, Schoenbaum, Doty, & Holmgren, 2007). People often think the solution to the health challenge facing the U.S. is the education of its citizens. Yet, education is impeded by class, and class is a far more detrimental feature of health for citizens. Furthermore, the medical industry in the U.S. runs on class discrimination. To reach these conclusions, one must analyze

I agree that self-examination is needed when feelings of negativity arise while taking care of such a diverse group of patients. “Can we overcome implicit bias in health care? The good news is that with organizational support, skills training, and cognitive resources, clinicians who are highly motivated to control prejudice and bias awareness can successfully prevent racism from affecting the quality of care they provide.” This is a work in progress, so much so, that the vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion, and professor of law at UCLA, Jerry Kang…states “Automatically, we categorize individuals by age, gender, race, and role. Once an individual is mapped in that category, specific meanings associated with that

Our healthcare system and communities are comprised of many cultures and ethnical backgrounds that help to govern patient’s healthcare choices and perceptions. To better understand the perceptions of the patient’s beliefs it is important that the healthcare provider be open to understanding and learning, without attempting to place their beliefs unjustly onto others. Placing their beliefs unjustly onto others breaks the patient and healthcare provider relationship and opens the doors for legal

I appreciate you including stereotyping as one of the issues of dissonance in care and collaboration. Frequently, doctors’ analyses and orders are valued over nurses because of their title alone. “These stereotypes help create ideas about a profession’s worth known as “disparity diversity” (Edmondson & Roloff), eroding mutual respect” (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011, p. 20). Nurses can break these stereotypes by participating in core competencies that help evaluate and break down culture and stereotypes, and by establishing a solid nurse-patient relationship as you stated Judith. I have found in practice that my views were valued more when I developed a good relationship with the patient, compared

To preface this assignment I am positive that there have been times that I have been discriminatory to people that I have encountered in clinic and ‘real life’ that I am unaware of. To focus on a more specific problem I thought of how the news and medical attention have been very focused on the opioid epidemic and the inter-professional way that we as providers can help people. I saw a number of patients during third year rotations who are on chronic pain medications. Before winter break I was in the Family Medicine Clerkship and this encounter I remember well because I realized that I had judged a patient based on only a couple of words in their chart. The patient was a black woman in her 40s who had chronic back pain and was receiving an

It’s very easy to not question our actions or reflect on our decisions. The difficult task is acknowledging our human nature to make mistakes and to critique our own perceptions and actions. The factor at play is our implicit bias. But how does that affect me? Discriminatory outcomes range from the bad quality interactions, to more consequential, such as decreased job opportunities and a decreased possibility of receiving medical treatments. The article reports that the discrepancy in medical treatment among the races is a continual obstacle in healthcare (Dembosky, 2015).