Introduction
Over recent years, bias has been one of the major issues in the healthcare systems of many countries. The given post presents several essential ideas about bias; first, it states that there can be explicit and implicit bias. It can also be suggested that implicit bias is more common in the clinical setting.
Discussion
Despite the measures taken to eliminate it, many clinicians and other health professionals are still susceptible to implicit bias (Heath, 2020). In addition to the strategies described in the post, such as learning how to recognize the bias and reassessing one’s feelings about it, this issue can be addressed using several other approaches. These can include educating healthcare workers about various cultures and teaching them to individuate their patients.
Another important idea discussed in the post is the necessity of training medical professionals to identify health disparities at their workplace, as well as select strategies to prevent any inequalities regarding health. This is a fundamental idea to reinforce within the hospital setting. It also has to be noted that in developing all these capacities and skills of the medical personnel, sufficient investments have to be made. This is a vital step to ensure health equity at all levels of the system of care for patients (National Academy of Medicine, 2021).
Conclusion
In conclusion, only a comprehensive multi-dimensional approach to the issue of bias in healthcare can help to eliminate it and minimize risks and threats that can result in negative patient outcomes. There should be several essential aspects in this approach, including cultural competency training, improving healthcare providers’ intercultural communication skills, and introducing strategies for individuating patients (National Academy of Medicine, 2021). If implemented timely and efficiently, this approach can be extremely helpful in reducing bias that currently exists or can emerge at the various levels of health care.
References
Heath, S. (2020). What Is Implicit Bias, How Does It Affect Healthcare? PatientEngagementHIT. Web.
National Academy of Medicine. (2021). The role of nurses in improving health equity – The future of nursing 2020-2030 – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web.