Implicit biases are the unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that influence how people make decisions. These biases can exist in healthcare providers, influencing communications in a way that can negatively impact patient care. Organizations need to ensure professionals have the critical thinking necessary to identify these unseen biases while also providing the resources to address them.
What are implicit biases?
Implicit biases stem from cultural influences and societal norms that shape how we perceive people and situations. The biases present differently from explicit bias as it operates automatically and makes it harder to detect.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “Implicit bias is thought to be shaped by experience and based on learned associations between particular qualities and social categories, including race and/or gender. Individuals’ perceptions and behaviors can be influenced by their implicit biases, even if they are unaware they hold such biases.”
An example of this is when a mental health professional might unconsciously believe that a patient coming from a lower socioeconomic background is less likely to follow medical advice or that young female patients may be experiencing symptoms related solely to menstruation.
How they present in communications
- Assuming patients from minorities feel less pain.
- Believing overweight patients lack self-control.
- Offering less aggressive treatment to older patients due to age stereotypes (or not presenting all available options due to age).
- Judging patients with limited English proficiency as less compliant or dumbing down their treatment even through a translator.
- Spending less time with patients who are perceived to have lower socioeconomic status.
- Assuming female patients are less rational or will have more emotional responses during medical consultations.
- Believing that LGBTQIA+ patients are prone to more risky behaviors that affect the care recommendations they receive.
The role of mental health professionals in tackling implicit biases
Mental health professionals must face their own biases and assist patients who face these biases from fellow healthcare professionals. This often starts with practitioners validating patient’s feelings, concerns, and experiences. Through the adoption of ethical practices geared towards inclusivity in all areas, patients can be treated in a way that provides them the tools to face and effectively handle inequality in their care.
These providers also assist in educating their peers in the healthcare sector on the ways in which implicit biases present themselves. Mental health professionals are well equipped to help create strategies for the identification of biases and how to provide unbiased assessments.
How email helps navigate implicit biases
One way email, specifically HIPAA compliant email platforms like Paubox, helps to address implicit biases is by disseminating information and resources that promote awareness. Regularly scheduled emails can be used to share evidence-based research and links to tools like The Implicit Association Test (IAT).
The platform also allows management to create and outline policies and protocols targeted towards addressing biases in staff in a way that creates a dynamic conversation. Policies can be shared and questions can be encouraged by direct managers to ensure that the specific rules and recommendations align with what is realistic.
FAQs
What is the role of social awareness in mental health communications?
Social awareness helps mental health professionals understand the diverse backgrounds and experiences of their patients in a way that allows care to remain respectful.
How does HIPAA impact the ethical considerations for healthcare professionals?
HIPAA requires healthcare professionals to prioritize patient privacy only sharing information related to treatment, payments, or health operations. The law complements and provides legal reinforcement to the ethical obligations set by organizations like the APA and AMA.
Kirsten Peremore
