Bias is an issue that can affect all areas of life, including healthcare, which can detrimentally affect patients.
Bias, particularly cognitive bias, is a systematic function of the mind, representing a methodical pattern grounded in social norms or rationality.
It involves a tendency to favour or dislike a person or thing, often unfairly.
Recognising bias is crucial, particularly in healthcare, as it can lead to various issues.
There are two main categories of bias: explicit and implicit.
Explicit bias involves individuals consciously holding clear beliefs about groups, manifesting as sexism, racism, ableism, and the like.
On the other hand, implicit bias develops unconsciously, often shaping perceptions without their awareness.
Unconscious bias, as a cognitive ability, relies on heuristics, an efficient processing method enabling effective information assessment through the perspective of personal morals and beliefs.
However, it also allows you to make mistakes, such as irrationality, inaccurate conclusions, stereotyping, and unreasonable thinking.
In healthcare, cognitive biases often lead professionals to prioritise a patient's initial view over their health needs, resulting in errors that contribute to the broader issue of healthcare disparities.
This, in turn, may cause patients discomfort, reluctance to receive healthcare again, and sometimes misdiagnosis.
The 2019 National Healthcare and Disparities Report revealed that Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hispanic patients received inferior healthcare compared to their white counterparts, leading to delays in treatment and overall worse outcomes.
This disparity may stem from medical staff assuming these groups are less educated, so believe that this will impact their likelihood of participating in post-treatment activities.
A comprehensive review of 77 articles discovered that medical professionals tend to view men as stoic and strong, which may discourage them from seeking help to avoid deviating from the stereotype and appearing weak.
On the other hand, women with chronic pain are often perceived as exaggerative, emotional, hysterical, and sensitive, as well as time-consuming and frustrating.
Such biases can leave patients feeling ashamed and embarrassed, potentially leading to silencing and hesitation in voicing their needs, resulting in delays or incorrect treatments.
Potential solutions to reduce bias in healthcare include educating and providing training for every worker on different backgrounds, circumstances, and protected characteristics.
Another approach involves diversifying healthcare teams by employing individuals of different races, genders, and backgrounds to bring varied views.
An innovative idea is by benefitting from using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to eliminate bias by programming it to operate without such.
However, this would necessitate rigorous coding checks and regular updates to address emerging issues.
In conclusion, although bias is a pervasive issue in healthcare, it is also a preventable challenge that can be eliminated through training, exposure, avoiding assumptions, and acknowledging situations where biased actions are more likely.
These efforts collectively aim to develop a clear, individualistic view of every patient, thereby facilitating the delivery of the best possible treatment in healthcare, allowing it to be open and accessible
