Implicit Bias in Nursing: Student Reflections

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Psychology

Background:

• Implicit bias contributes to health disparities affecting patients based on race, religion, sexual identity, and mental illness.
• Addressing these unconscious biases is crucial for improving patient care and reducing health inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) on nursing students' awareness of racial bias.
• To explore the effectiveness of structured reflection in conjunction with bias testing for educational interventions.

Main Methods:

• Nursing students completed the Implicit Association Test (IAT) focusing on race.
• Student reflections on their IAT results were collected and qualitatively analyzed.

Main Results:

• Qualitative evaluation of student reflections provided insights into their understanding of implicit bias.
• The study identified potential areas for future educational strategies to address unconscious bias in nursing.

Conclusions:

• Conscious awareness of implicit biases is achievable through targeted educational approaches.
• Training programs incorporating bias assessment and reflection can empower nursing students to adopt non-biased behaviors, promoting health equity.