Finding the right words: A skills-based curriculum using verbal procedures to address implicit bias in clinical encounters

Abstract

Introduction

Implicit bias can influence patient-clinician communication through clinician implicit bias (actual) or patients’ perception of bias (perceived). Few curricula focus on skills to address implicit bias. We developed and evaluated a skills-based curriculum addressing implicit bias in clinical encounters.

Materials & Methods

A 60-minute session was delivered to 4 cohorts of learners (N = 458, ranging from first-year medical students to attendings) in academic medical settings. All had prior exposure to the topic of implicit bias. Instruction grounded in the Implicit Bias Recognition and Management framework described the impact of actual and perceived bias and patients’ recommendations for restoring rapport once bias had impacted an encounter. Through audience response systems or role-plays with feedback, participants developed verbal procedures—personalized, verbatim statements to restore patient rapport when implicit bias has impacted an encounter. Learners submitted their verbal procedures online, which were then coded to identify helpful and unhelpful elements. Investigators coded verbal procedures and assigned point values for “helpful” and “unhelpful” elements resulting in scores from −1–6.

Results

Each approach yielded helpful elements. Overall, of submitted verbal procedures, 91.3 % were “helpful” and 8.6 % “unhelpful.” Compared to audience response systems, verbal procedures developed through role-plays included significantly more “helpful” elements (2.21/1.29, p = 0.003 and 2.46/1.87 p = 0.009).

Conclusions

Findings suggest learners can develop verbatim statements to restore rapport with patients in a single session if those learners have prior foundational knowledge about implicit bias and its relevance to healthcare disparities.

Practice Implications

Teaching verbal procedures could expand skill-building opportunities within implicit bias curricula.