Healthcare Inequality: Implicit Stereotype Bias in Minority Groups

Many minority groups are experiencing healthcare inequality today in the United States due to implicit stereotype bias of providers that affects decisions about their patients’ care. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes and stereotypes that shape our understanding, decisions, and actions unconsciously. These attitudes are shaped by characteristics such as ethnicity, age, appearance, and gender. Implicit bias can create misunderstandings and misinterpretations between provider and patient. Often, providers are put on the spot of making complicated judgments quickly and with an insufficient amount of information. Providers rely on assumptions associated with the patient’s social category to fill in the gap, which can cause healthcare disparity within minority groups. This presentation will further explain the effects of implicit bias in medical decision making and the impact this has on healthcare. Furthermore, this presentation will explain the different types of implicit bias and the many forms they take. Lastly, this presentation will explain possible solutions to alleviate implicit bias in the U.S. healthcare system.

Adrian Nava, Nursing ‘21

Adrian and his family moved from the Philippines to the United States when he was six years old. He is the second eldest out of four children and is also an identical twin. He is the first in the family to attend college. He hopes to be a good example for his siblings and to inspire them to pursue a higher education, an opportunity his parents never had in the United States. Pursuing a higher education was a challenge for Adrian. He worked full-time to support himself financially through community college. Learning to balance his time for work and school was a maze of its own, but he managed to get himself through community college to earn his Associate of Arts degree. Adrian values his education. He has worked and volunteered at many health organizations and has developed a passion for community health. He saw many underrepresented families in the healthcare system. His goal as a future nurse is to advocate for the underrepresented people in our community, especially those who cannot access proper healthcare. He will be continuing the road of higher education to pursue his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. He wants to further educate families, especially those in minority groups, on how to stay well and live a healthy life.