Implicit Bias and Patient Care (Coursework Sample)

Implicit Bias and Patient Care Name Institution Implicit bias occurs unconsciously as individuals’ stereotypes and attitudes toward others affect how they communicate, understand, and work with them. I chose race as my social attitude for the implicit bias test, and the results show that I have little or no automatic preference between African American and European American. Although implicit bias is involuntary, it can affect the quality of care provided to patients as it is likely to impact the patient-provider relationship leading to poor patient experience and poor health outcomes. According to Vela et al. (2022), implicit bias in healthcare is embedded in common social injustices such as racism, with titles such as “old,” “obese,” “lazy,” “violent,” “poor,” and “black” affecting the level of care given to specific patients. If patients see implicit bias in their provider, they are likely to develop a negative attitude, be suspicious, and may not open up about their health status. Lack of trust in the health professional affects the patient’s commitment to treatment and other care routines. Implicit bias may prevent a health provider from sharing depth information with a patient because they consider them illiterate in health matters. Others fail to accord the necessary care or treatment option because their bias says the patient cannot afford such. These unconscious decisions affect the level of patient care, sometimes leading to avoidable health complications. Similarly, a provider may fail to refer a high-risk patient for a specialized checkup because they assume the patient may not be interested in attending it (Vela et al....