Development of a Multicomponent Intervention to Decrease Racial Bias Among Healthcare Staff

Area of Science:

• Healthcare disparities
• Racial bias in medicine
• Health equity

Background:

• Discrimination in healthcare negatively impacts Black patients compared to white patients.
• Non-physician and non-nursing (non-MD/RN) staff can contribute to discrimination.
• Addressing staff bias is crucial for equitable care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an online intervention targeting racial bias in non-MD/RN healthcare staff.
• To reduce implicit bias and improve patient-provider interactions.
• To enhance understanding of discrimination's effects in healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• An online intervention based on the Burgess Model was created with five modules.
• Participants were non-MD/RN staff from nine primary care clinics.
• Implicit and explicit racial bias were measured using the Implicit Association Test and Symbolic Racism Scale, pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The intervention led to a decrease in implicit pro-white bias, moving from a score of 0.22 to -0.06 (p=0.01).
• Participant feedback indicated high satisfaction, with ratings of at least 4.1 for applicability and value across all modules.
• The study included 24 staff members who completed both pre- and post-intervention assessments.

Conclusions:

• The online intervention successfully reduced implicit pro-white bias among healthcare support staff.
• The training materials were highly rated for their relevance and effectiveness.
• These findings suggest a viable strategy for mitigating racial bias in primary care settings.