TY - JOUR
T1 - Implicit bias toward cervical cancer
T2 - Provider and training differences
AU - Liang, Juliana
AU - Wolsiefer, Katherine
AU - Zestcott, Colin A.
AU - Chase, Dana
AU - Stone, Jeff
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - Objective: Implicit prejudice and stereotyping may exist in health care providers automatically without their awareness. These biases can correlate with outcomes that are consequential for the patient. This study examined gynecologic oncology care providers’ implicit prejudice and stereotyping toward cervical cancer. Methods: Members of professional gynecologic oncology organizations were asked to complete two Implicit Association Tests to determine if they implicitly associate cervical cancer with feelings of anger (prejudice) and beliefs about culpability for the disease (stereotypes), compared to ovarian cancer. Linear models and Student t-tests examined average levels of implicit bias and moderators of the implicit bias effects. Results: One-hundred seventy-six (132 female, 43 male, 1 nonresponse; X¯ age = 39.18 years, SD age = 10.58 years) providers were recruited and the final sample included 151 participants (93 physicians and 58 nurses, X¯ age = 38.93, SD age = 10.59). Gynecologic oncology providers showed significant levels of implicit prejudice, X¯ = 0.17, SD = 0.47, 95% CI: (0.10, 0.25), toward cervical cancer patients. They also showed significant levels of implicit stereotyping of cervical cancer patients, X¯ = 0.15, SD = 0.42, 95% CI: (0.08, 0.21). Whereas physicians did not demonstrate significant levels of implicit bias, nurses demonstrated greater levels of implicit prejudice and implicit stereotyping. Providers without cultural competency/implicit bias training demonstrated greater bias than those who had completed such training (p <.05). Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that gynecologic oncology providers hold implicit biases related to cervical cancer. Interventions may be designed to target specific groups in gynecologic oncology to improve interactions with patients.
AB - Objective: Implicit prejudice and stereotyping may exist in health care providers automatically without their awareness. These biases can correlate with outcomes that are consequential for the patient. This study examined gynecologic oncology care providers’ implicit prejudice and stereotyping toward cervical cancer. Methods: Members of professional gynecologic oncology organizations were asked to complete two Implicit Association Tests to determine if they implicitly associate cervical cancer with feelings of anger (prejudice) and beliefs about culpability for the disease (stereotypes), compared to ovarian cancer. Linear models and Student t-tests examined average levels of implicit bias and moderators of the implicit bias effects. Results: One-hundred seventy-six (132 female, 43 male, 1 nonresponse; X¯ age = 39.18 years, SD age = 10.58 years) providers were recruited and the final sample included 151 participants (93 physicians and 58 nurses, X¯ age = 38.93, SD age = 10.59). Gynecologic oncology providers showed significant levels of implicit prejudice, X¯ = 0.17, SD = 0.47, 95% CI: (0.10, 0.25), toward cervical cancer patients. They also showed significant levels of implicit stereotyping of cervical cancer patients, X¯ = 0.15, SD = 0.42, 95% CI: (0.08, 0.21). Whereas physicians did not demonstrate significant levels of implicit bias, nurses demonstrated greater levels of implicit prejudice and implicit stereotyping. Providers without cultural competency/implicit bias training demonstrated greater bias than those who had completed such training (p <.05). Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that gynecologic oncology providers hold implicit biases related to cervical cancer. Interventions may be designed to target specific groups in gynecologic oncology to improve interactions with patients.
KW - Cervical cancer
KW - Cultural competency
KW - Implicit bias
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.01.013
DO - 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.01.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 30739720
AN - SCOPUS:85061160560
SN - 0090-8258
VL - 153
SP - 80
EP - 86
JO - Gynecologic Oncology
JF - Gynecologic Oncology
IS - 1
ER -