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Exploring implicit bias among ENT surgeons: an analysis of the implicit association test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2023

Z Shah-Altaf Open the ORCID record for Z Shah-Altaf [Opens in a new window] ,
D Ranford Open the ORCID record for D Ranford [Opens in a new window] ,
K Miu ,
C Hopkins  and
P Surda
Z Shah-Altaf*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
D Ranford
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
K Miu
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
C Hopkins
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
P Surda
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
*
Corresponding author: Zareena Shah-Altaf; Email: zareena.shah@nhs.net
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Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the presence of implicit bias among ENT surgeons and explore the impact of the results of the Implicit Association Test on the surgeons’ behaviour towards patients.

Method

Seven ENT surgeons who were not black, Asian or minority ethnic were asked to complete the Race Implicit Association Test. The surgeons also completed a survey about their perceptions of their implicit biases and the impact of the Race Implicit Association Test results on their behaviour towards patients.

Results

The mean Race Implicit Association Test score for the ENT surgeons suggested a slight bias that favoured white over black people. Furthermore, 42 per cent of the surgeons thought that they had hidden or unconscious racial bias, 42 per cent said they would change their behaviour towards patients after receiving these results and 85 per cent thought that the Race Implicit Association Test was helpful for appraisal purposes.

Conclusion

The results suggest that ENT surgeons who are not black, Asian or minority ethnic may have implicit biases towards black patients. These findings highlight the need for interventions to reduce implicit bias among ENT surgeons and improve healthcare outcomes for marginalised populations.

Keywords

Biassurgeonssurvey
Type
Short Communications
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 138 , Issue 1 , January 2024 , pp. 112 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED

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Footnotes

Zareena Shah-Altaf takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

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