Biased Language in Simulated Handoffs and Clinician Recall and Attitudes

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Health Equity

Background:

• Poor-quality patient handoffs can lead to medical errors.
• Biased language in handoffs may exacerbate these errors and contribute to health care disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical information recall accuracy and patient attitudes among trainees exposed to biased versus neutral language in simulated patient handoffs.

Main Methods:

• Trainees (residents and medical students) received simulated verbal handoffs randomized to biased (stereotype, blame, doubt) or neutral language.
• Evaluated clinical information recall, patient attitudes (using PASS scale), and key takeaways post-handoff.

Main Results:

• Biased handoffs, particularly blame-based, significantly reduced information recall accuracy (77% vs. 93%) and patient attitudes (22.9 vs. 25.2).
• Reporting bias as a takeaway correlated with lower recall accuracy.
• Positive patient attitudes were associated with higher recall accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Biased handoffs impair clinical information transfer and reduce empathy, posing risks to patients and exacerbating health disparities.
• Standardizing handoffs is essential to mitigate racial bias and enhance patient safety.