Abstract
This paper applies social cognition research to understanding and ameliorating the provider contribution to racial/ethnic disparities in health care. We discuss how fundamental cognitive mechanisms such as automatic, unconscious processes (e.g., stereotyping) can help explain provider bias. Even well-intentioned providers who are motivated to be nonprejudiced may stereotype racial/ethnic minority members, particularly under conditions of that diminish cognitive capacity. These conditions - time pressure, fatigue, and information overloadare frequently found in health care settings. We conclude with implications of the social-cognitive perspective for developing interventions to reduce provider bias.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1154-1159 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of general internal medicine |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Disparities
- Ethnicity
- Provider behavior
- Race
- Social cognition
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Internal Medicine