| A Project of the Wasington Academy of Physician Assistants, the Pacific NW Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and Physician Assistants for Health Equity |
| Think About It. Talk About it. End it. |
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| Implicit biases are pervasive. They appear as statistically large effects that are often shown by majorities of samples of Americans. People are often unaware of their implicit biases. Ordinary people, including the researchers who direct this project, are found to harbor negative associations in relation to various social groups. Implicit biases predict clinical behavior. From Harvard University's Project Implicit web site: |
| START HERE: IMPLICIT BIAS DEFINED |
"White patients were significantly more likely than black patients to receive ED analgesics (74% versus 57%, P =.01) despite similar records of pain complaints in the medical record. The risk of receiving no analgesic while in the ED was 66% greater for black patients than for white patients (relative risk 1.66, 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 2.50). This effect persisted after controlling for multiple potential confounders." Ann Emerg Med. 2000 Jan;35(1):11-6. |
| EXAMPLE: BLACK PATIENTS RECEIVE LESS PAIN MEDICATION |
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