About this Research Topic
In the US and elsewhere, implicit bias remains a nearly unmanageable issue. Thus, like everyone, public health/healthcare professionals hold unconscious biases against many categories of people and unknowingly discriminate against them. In the healthcare industry, biases can adversely affect healthcare outcomes of patients such as through suboptimal public health efforts, patient-provider interactions, surgical and other interventions, drug treatment decisions, and treatment adherence. These biases also influence selection of patients for clinical trials and promotion of treatments to the public. Implicit bias mitigation can, however, foster awareness of this discrimination and increase compassionate behavior among practitioners. Hence, such approaches should be employed to train all public health/health administration students, aspiring healthcare practitioners, and professionals themselves. This life-long learning would improve not only the health of those against whom we discriminate, but public health more generally.
Implicit association tests, and other tools, are useful in helping public health/healthcare students and professionals mitigate unconscious biases against people owing to their color, ethnicity, body weight, gender, and sexual orientation. Similarly, students and professionals likely need to work to avoid discriminating against older people, children, homeless people, persons of lower socioeconomic status, and even people in other health-related professions. Moreover, the groups against whom we might be prejudiced may expand further depending on the environment in which healthcare is provided. We strive to motivate all persons serving to promote health, including public health administrators, physicians, clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists, and other healthcare team members, to mitigate conscious and unconscious biases against patients and each other throughout their careers. The intentional and daily practice of mindfulness, self-examination, critical reflection, and compassionate behavior should foster this bias mitigation.
Papers addressing these, and related issues are invited for this Research Topic, including those presenting new findings as well as ones reviewing the field more broadly. Works to mitigate unconscious bias in public health/healthcare providers are especially encouraged. Specific themes include but are not limited to;
• Unconscious bias mitigation, compassionate behavior, removing bias from patient-provider interactions, and patient adherence to treatment plans
• Implicit bias and patient selection for clinical trials: consequences for public health
• Use of mindfulness, self-examination, and critical reflection to prevent burnout throughout public health/healthcare providers’ careers: implications for management of treatment plans and interactions among members of healthcare teams including patients and their families
• Health sector policies that address unconscious bias
• How does treatment favor those of higher socioeconomic status?
• How can the humanities help public health/healthcare professionals mitigate their conscious and unconscious biases?
• Does implicit bias against patients influence the placebo effect?
Implicit association tests, and other tools, are useful in helping public health/healthcare students and professionals mitigate unconscious biases against people owing to their color, ethnicity, body weight, gender, and sexual orientation. Similarly, students and professionals likely need to work to avoid discriminating against older people, children, homeless people, persons of lower socioeconomic status, and even people in other health-related professions. Moreover, the groups against whom we might be prejudiced may expand further depending on the environment in which healthcare is provided. We strive to motivate all persons serving to promote health, including public health administrators, physicians, clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists, and other healthcare team members, to mitigate conscious and unconscious biases against patients and each other throughout their careers. The intentional and daily practice of mindfulness, self-examination, critical reflection, and compassionate behavior should foster this bias mitigation.
Papers addressing these, and related issues are invited for this Research Topic, including those presenting new findings as well as ones reviewing the field more broadly. Works to mitigate unconscious bias in public health/healthcare providers are especially encouraged. Specific themes include but are not limited to;
• Unconscious bias mitigation, compassionate behavior, removing bias from patient-provider interactions, and patient adherence to treatment plans
• Implicit bias and patient selection for clinical trials: consequences for public health
• Use of mindfulness, self-examination, and critical reflection to prevent burnout throughout public health/healthcare providers’ careers: implications for management of treatment plans and interactions among members of healthcare teams including patients and their families
• Health sector policies that address unconscious bias
• How does treatment favor those of higher socioeconomic status?
• How can the humanities help public health/healthcare professionals mitigate their conscious and unconscious biases?
• Does implicit bias against patients influence the placebo effect?
Keywords: public health, critical reflection, compassion, implicit bias, life-long learning
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
