Unconscious bias in European health care : preliminary results of a scoping review

Introduction: Unconscious or implicit biases (UB) are associations or attitudes that reflexively and unknowingly alter our perceptions. UB can affect behavior, interactions, and decisions. In the health care setting UB can lead to adverse health outcomes for people affected (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017; Staats et al. 2017). Numerous studies show the effect of UB on health care disparities in North America. These studies predominantly explored UB in relation to skin color or affiliation to an ethnic minority. The findings from these studies are not easily applicable to a European context as there are considerable differences in the social and health care systems, awareness of disparities, and history of oppression. Little is known about the UB amongst health care professionals and its impact on health care disparities in the European context. Objective: The objective of this study is to obtain an overview of UB amongst trained health care professionals at a global level. For this conference we focus on UB in a European context. Methods: A scoping review is conducted using the PCC framework. PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, AMED and CINAHL Complete were searched for peer reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2021. Included were empirical studies assessing UB in trained health care professionals in relation to patients. Results: A total of 5186 articles were found, 286 of which were duplicates. All articles were screened by two researchers for eligibility of inclusion. The screening process is currently ongoing. Results will be available at the conference. Preliminary findings show that UB in health care is not a well explored topic in Europe. Discussion and Conclusion: Health care disparities and the role of UB need to be addressed to provide equal health care for everyone.