Adil Haider, MD, of Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston published a study in JAMA Surgery with his colleagues, finding doctors may have biases in favor of or against different races and social classes, but this does not overtly affect patient care, reports KFGO.
Two-hundred-and-fifteen physicians took tests to measure their unconscious bias, and most of them had measurable amounts of bias and strong preferences for higher social class. Women had generally lower levels of race and class bias relative to men according to KFGO.
The study also found that black patients are more likely to die after a traumatic injury than white patients. In addition, KFGO also reports doctors were less likely to order an imaging test for patients involved in a car accident if the patient was of a lower socioeconomic class.
"We need to do formal observational trials to see what's happening in real life and also look at other provider associated mechanisms such as empathy and mindfulness," said Dr. Adil Haider to KFGO.
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