Recognizing & Challenging Biases & the “Isms”

Women’s Health Issues – Reducing Implicit Bias in Maternity Care: A Framework for Action (2022)

This article discusses the potential impact of clinician implicit bias on obstetric care and outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. A framework with practical strategies is provided for designing implicit bias interventions based on three core domains – education and self-awareness, communication skills, and cognitive reframing. The importance of patient engagement, thoughtful and careful program implementation, and multi-level outcomes measurement are emphasized.

Obstetrics & Gynecology – Rethinking Bias to Achieve Maternal Health Equity (2021)

This article addresses the limitations of existing implicit bias training (IBT) as a strategy for achieving maternal health equity. The authors review the evidence (or lack thereof) that IBT improves health care professional/patient communication, has an impact on clinical treatment decisions or long-term effects on mitigating bias and discriminatory behaviors, or reduces racial/ethnic health disparities. They emphasize the need to address stereotyping in medical education and practice and the marginalization of Black physicians, as well as going beyond seeing implicit bias as an “individual-level” problem separate from social and institutional contexts. Potential solutions are proposed including the following: ”1) Reforming Medical Training and Practice; 2) Changes in Care Processes; 3) Accountability Through Public Policy; 4) Removing Obstructions in the Physician Pipeline.” The importance of implementing evidence-based implicit bias training and addressing systemic forms of bias are emphasized.