Unconscious bias and the value of training for medical students

• DOI: 10.11157/fohpe.v17i2.138
• Publication Date: 2016-07-21T04:27:32Z
• Authors: Lori Graham; Anna Graham; Courtney West

The term unconscious (implicit) bias and its possible effects in multiple disciplines has been recognised for some time (Moss-Racusin, Dovidio, Brescoll, Graham, & Handelsman, 2012; Sabin, Rivara, & Greenwald, 2008). In medical education, implicit bias is especially important since it may impact quality of care (Goldyne, 2007). Therefore, some institutions are beginning to integrate training for students to illuminate biases and develop strategies to manage them. As a part of a reciprocal best practices exchange with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), stemming from an NIH grant partnership, Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) College of Medicine (COM) replicated an implicit associations (IA) workshop that has taken place at BCM for a number of years. Texas A&M HSC COM attended training through BCM, slightly revised shared materials and then implemented the activity. The purpose was to determine whether or not the workshop, including small group discussions at Texas A&M HSC COM, effectively enabled students to identify possible unconscious biases and to discuss their potential impact on patient care.