Unconscious Bias

A very common problem in the health community is unconscious bias.  Unfortunately, it has not been addressed and continues to wreak havoc in the clinical setting.

An Asian man, who was unshaven, and appeared to be homeless, was found in full cardiac arrest in front of a liquor store.  EMS arrived, provided a description of the man to hospital personnel and administered care before and after arriving at the ER.  The code was eventually stopped and he was pronounced dead.  A nurse looked in his pocket to determine his identity and discovered that he was a physician.  The medical team was immediately summoned to return to continue administering care, but he was again declared dead.  The nurse and others were horrified.

This is an example of unconscious bias.  It occurs every day in hospitals and doctors’ offices.