Title : Screening for bias risk in providers working in addiction medicine
Abstract:
Addiction medicine is a unique subset of medicine that involves treating a particular group of individuals who embody complexities that are difficult to treat at the social and medical levels. The healthcare professionals treating substance use disorder (SUD) and the state have come together by recognizing that addiction results in mortality and morbidity of Washington state residents. There are barriers to care for this population, starting with the preoccupation of bias in healthcare professionals treating SUD-afflicted patients. Research indicates the benefits of implementing tools to assess self-bias help recognize the source of partiality, why it occurs, how it occurs, and what can be done to change it. The evidenced-based screening tool, Implicit Association Test (IAT), can help recognize bias. This project's primary focus is to implement the IAT tool, develop a diversity and inclusion (DEI) training course for staff, and then have staff perform an exit survey to assess intervention results. The surveys and training aim to provide Recovery Place Seattle, a medical detox unit, with the tools the organization requires for quality reform and improvement to address unconscious bias.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Assessment of provider bias by utilization of the IAT tool from Harvard.edu
- The IAT tool may help providers recognize their bias and be cognizant of their preconceived notion and how it effects their delivery of care to patients
- The project aims to have providers train with DEI and the Director of Nursing hopes to continue education and the utilization of DEI materials
