Study Finds Implicit Bias Influencing Racial Disparities in Treatment Recommendations

By Consumers for Quality Care, on January 25, 2023

A recent study conducted by University of Minnesota Medical School researchers, and reported by Patient Engagement Hit, found that implicit bias towards Black consumers may be influencing racial disparities in provider recommendations for certain treatment options.

Researchers examined more than 600,000 patients with intracranial brain tumors to study racial and socioeconomic disparities in surgical management. The study found that Black patients were more likely to receive provider recommendations against surgical removal of several primary brain tumors. Racial disparities in surgical recommendations were also found for Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander consumers.

“Racial disparities… are often attributed to socioeconomic inequities,” said Dr. Andrew Venteicher of the University of Minnesota. “New data collection and analysis techniques allow us to control for these factors and start to look at whether bias is happening at a provider level. Clearly, more work is needed to identify these biases and educate providers on how to address them.”

CQC urges lawmakers, providers, and regulators to do their part to identify and address racial disparities in our health care system.