Unconscious Bias among Health Professionals: A Scoping Review

Ursula Meidert (), Godela Dönnges, Thomas Bucher, Frank Wieber and Andreas Gerber-Grote
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Ursula Meidert: School of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
Godela Dönnges: School of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
Thomas Bucher: School of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
Frank Wieber: School of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
Andreas Gerber-Grote: School of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Katharina-Sulzer-Platz 9, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 16, 1-28

Abstract: Background: Unconscious biases are one of the causes of health disparities. Health professionals have prejudices against patients due to their race, gender, or other factors without their conscious knowledge. This review aimed to provide an overview of research on unconscious bias among health professionals and to investigate the biases that exist in different regions of the world, the health professions that are considered, and the research gaps that still exist. Methods: We conducted a scoping review by systematically searching PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and AMED. All records were double-screened and included if they were published between 2011 and 2021. Results: A total of 5186 records were found. After removing duplicates ( n = 300), screening titles and abstracts ( n = 4210), and full-text screening ( n = 695), 87 articles from 81 studies remained. Studies originated from North America ( n = 60), Europe ( n = 13), and the rest of the world ( n = 6), and two studies were of global scope. Racial bias was investigated most frequently ( n = 46), followed by gender bias ( n = 11), weight bias ( n = 10), socio-economic status bias ( n = 9), and mental illness bias ( n = 7). Most of the studies were conducted by physicians ( n = 51) and nurses ( n = 20). Other health care professionals were rarely included in these studies. Conclusions: Most studies show that health professionals have an implicit bias. Racial biases among physicians and nurses in the USA are well confirmed. Research is missing on other biases from other regions and other health professions.

Keywords: unconscious bias; implicit bias; health professionals; health disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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