Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
Agitation is a routine and increasingly common presentation to the emergency department (ED). In the wake of a national examination into racism and police use of force, this article aims to extend that reflection into emergency medicine in the management of patients presenting with acute agitation. Through an overview of ethicolegal considerations in restraint use and current literature on implicit bias in medicine, this article provides a discussion on how bias may impact care of the agitated patient. Concrete strategies are offered at an individual, institutional, and health system level to help mitigate bias and improve care.
-
Observational Study
Inter-Physician Weight Bias: A Cross-Sectional Observational Survey Study To Guide Implicit Bias Training in the Medical Workplace.
Implicit bias contributes to both health care disparities and professional limitations, and it exists among physicians. Prior literature has described physician weight bias (WB) toward patients, but little research has investigated interphysician WB. This study describes the prevalence of interphysician implicit WB and investigates the relationships between implicit, explicit, and professional biases. The authors hypothesized that the majority of physicians possess interphysician implicit WB and that the degree of implicit bias has a direct relationship with explicit and professional WB. ⋯ Our findings highlight the prevalence of interphysician implicit WB; the strong correlations between implicit, explicit, and professional WB; and the potential disparities faced by physicians with obesity. These results may be used to guide implicit bias training for a more inclusive medical workplace.