VPFW’s Dr. Maggie Anderson Lincoln co-authored an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on how implicit bias training can help reduce racial disparities and improve the maternal mortality rate in Virginia.
Dr. Maggie Anderson Lincoln has been very interested in how we can improve the maternal morbidity and mortality rates for black moms in Virginia. After learning one of her patients was involved in writing a bill that supports implicit bias training for healthcare providers in the state, she recently worked with two other physicians, Dr. Lisa G. Kaplowitz and Dr. Daphne Bazile, on the op-ed “We must address implicit bias” in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The op-ed acknowledges that while the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among high income countries, the rate is even higher for black pregnant women than white pregnant women. While there are many social and community factors contributing to this phenomenon, there is still a significant discrepancy even after controlling for things like economic status, income, education, and access to medical care. The Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team Annual Report has shown that significant racial disparities clearly are present among pregnancy-associated deaths in Virginia. Black women had significantly higher rates of pregnancy-associated deaths compared to white women. “It’s not something that we should tolerate, and it really is unacceptable,” says Dr. Lincoln.
Implicit bias, which refers to “unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decision making,” is now being recognized as a factor in these racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity rates. While everyone has some level of implicit bias related to race, studies have found a significant positive relationship between level of implicit bias and lower quality of care, impacting patient experience, pain management, treatment decisions, and health outcomes.
Dr. Lincoln believes implicit bias training is a step in the right direction — that it can help providers recognize their own biases and make positive changes to help right this wrong. While most training programs have a two-step approach focusing on making healthcare workers aware of their own bias and introducing strategies for reducing its influence, Dr. Lincoln and her coauthors shared a 6-point framework for the training that would include:
- Creating a non-threatening learning context
- Increasing knowledge about the science of implicit bias
- Emphasizing how implicit bias influences behaviors and patient outcomes
- Increasing self-awareness of existing biases
- Improving conscience efforts to overcome implicit bias
- Enhancing awareness of how implicit bias influences others
Virginia Physicians for Women has always believed that all of our patients should be treated equally and understands how implicit bias can lead to decision making that is not in line with professional training. VPFW and its providers support Dr. Lincoln’s position on the value of implicit bias training, and we are working on a plan to implement such training within the practice.
To schedule an appointment with a VPFW provider, call our Richmond, VA office at 804-897-2100 or set an appointment online.
