Five Essential Strategies To Combat Unconscious Bias

By Author: Halena
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What is bias? Supporting or opposing someone or something in an unfair way.
Does it happen in the healthcare sector as well? Yes. Studies show that doctors often provide better treatment and complete attention to White patients than the Black. Well, it’s an example of direct bias. On the other hand, nurses often provide better treatment and address the patient’s concerns who share similar backgrounds or beliefs is called unconscious bias.
In addition, it activates quickly and without knowing. So, let’s deep dive into this guide and check how to combat the five biases that are super important for nursing professionals.
Focusing on problems
Do you know what’s the biggest problem of healthcare professionals? They think that their judgment, treatment, and observation are free from bias. However, that’s not true. In addition, they do have some unconscious bias.
Their clinical decision-making skills are based on ethnicity, race, language, caste, and various other factors. Also, studies show that this kind of bias is hard to resist as it comes naturally and a person often doesn’t recognize ...
... it as it happens. Thus, when it is not managed, it leads to healthcare disparities.
Health disparity is a health difference that is linked to social, economic, and environmental disadvantages (Healthy People 2022).
The negative consequences of healthcare disparities include mismanagement of symptoms, being underserved, experiencing extended waiting time, lack of staff service, and more. As a result, patients who experience such problems think that these obstacles are not easy to penetrate.
Top 5 Strategies to Combat Unconscious Bias
Now that you know that it’s a serious problem that affects patient care and also several other issues. It’s time to find out the top five strategies to combat unconscious bias in nursing:
Personal awareness
The first and most important strategy to combat bias is self-awareness. Nurses must analyze their behavior, treatment, and communication with their patients.
In addition, they must ensure that patients who come for treatment don’t get disheartened or upset with their poor quality treatment or lack of communication.
For that, they can also create a personal diary and note down minute details about their professional behavior. However, the idea doesn’t end here. One must also read them later or create a proper essay kind of content to memorize their actions. For that, nurses can also seek nursing essay writing services https://nursingassignmentwriters.co.uk/ . In addition, you can share all the highlighters and pointers with them and ask them to create a good essay.
Acknowledgment
Another essential point is to know and understand that yes, that’s the issue with my healthcare services.
Not only that but staying accountable for your actions and trying to improve it crucial. Therefore, one must always be ready to accept their mistakes and fix them to avoid making any further bias in the field.
Empathy
And here comes the third strategy: empathy. All patients are not the same. Each comes with a certain medical condition, mood, and thought process.
Hence, real medical care can be only given to them when a nurse understands the patient’s problem. For that, it’s important to step into a patient’s shoes and understand how they feel.
Well, this doesn’t mean that nurses don’t have any sense of empathy for their patients. Some of them have it naturally while some struggle with it.
Also, dealing with hyperactive patients or special people is a real task. This is when the bias comes to its highest level.
Thus, empathy is necessary!
Advocacy
Supporting and feeling the condition of a patient is nursing advocacy. The way they navigate complex tasks and give their 100% to treat a patient is how they act to be the advocate for them.
These include looking after a patient, communicating with them, making them feel happy, preparing reports, suggesting better care, and more.
However, unconscious bias can come in between. For example, prioritizing a patient over another due to the same language or caste. Therefore, it’s important to deal with patients with utmost professionalism and compassion. A patient should sense that a nurse can go beyond the boundaries to keep them healthy and safe.
Education
Education is the core pillar and strategy to combat unconscious bias in healthcare. Also, it can be gotten through many ways. For example, daily healthy communication with an expert, reading books, staying motivated, and whatnot.
Moreover, educational institutions and hospitals must arrange seminars or workshops that help them to combat bias. Also, the most vital element here is to provide a healthy workspace and let nurses be themselves.
Always remember that toxic spaces or coworkers will never lead to any kind of professional improvement. Thus, gather around positive people and be sure to give your best in treating patients.
Final Words
Without a doubt, being biased or giving preference to anyone you like for any reason is completely natural. However, once a nurse steps into the professional set-up, you have to stay neutral and provide equal services to patients.
Indeed, workspace matters a lot in this regard. However, change starts with you. Thus, self-aware is the key. In addition, make sure to stay accountable for your actions. Also, you can never provide the right treatment without any bias until you step into the shoes of your patient. Moreover, the task of dealing with every kind of patient is another art. Lastly, educate yourself and keep yourself updated to perform better.