Learner Feedback
Understanding and Preventing Unintended Bias
in Pain Management
What learners are saying...
I did not really know about the cross ethnic gap. I had always believed that there were implicit biases in people, but it really makes me sad to know that people are suffering because they are expected to be drug seekers just because of their skin color. I also learned new tactics to actively prevent bias from coming into plan in healthcare as I am aiming to become a part of that field in the future. I think the course was nicely interactive and straight to the point. It will definitely be a useful course in the future!!
- Student, Emergency Medical Scribe (Undergraduate Career), Female, White, 40, Moderate, TX
I believe that it is a good course. I certainly wish that my primary care doctor had taken it! It teaches healthcare workers to learn to empathize with patients of different races and/or ethnicities so that they will be fairly treated and receive adequate medical care. It also encourages these workers to become aware of their own biases and see how these biases can negatively affect patients. It points out how negative stereotypes can get in the way of putting the patients needs first.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, Mixed, 41, Liberal, CA
I found it to be very interesting and engaging...The most valuable part though in my opinion was the section where it used the apple example. I have never seen a scenario broken down so simply and I thought it was an excellent analogy. I do think that it could overall be a useful course for staff and providers, however, they have to be open to learn and if theyre not then I do not think it matters if they view it or not. If they are open going into it though I believe helpful information could be gained from it.
- Administration, Female, White, 23, Very Conservative, PA
I thought it was very interesting even for someone like me who doesnt currently work in a medical field, I thought the stories about people with serious problems being dismissed as drug seeking were eye opening on how people who are supposed to be hyper-competent like doctors and nurses can make mistakes because of biases. I think the most important thing I learned were all the exercises that help reduce bias and how you should be doing them constantly to make it so that it is ingrained in your thought process automatically…I think it will help healthcare staff, I think it would even be useful for people who dont directly control a patients medical care like people who are in charge of checking patients into the ER.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, White, 42, Very Liberal, UT
I do think the course is very thorough in trying to analyze the problem of bias in healthcare workers. I was very impressed that it was just a lecture but provided examples to highlight what the person was talking about. Furthermore, I also liked that in the example of Jeff and William that they showed what the doctors point of view could have been and present it in a way to not put the doctor and nurse as bad people. That will make the people who take the course more receptive towards the topic of bias. I didnt really learn any new information, but it highlighted things to work on.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, White, 37, Moderate, NY
As a provider I found this course insightful with important information about how implicit bias can lead to gaps in quality care. I found the tips to prevent poor care most valuable. It would likely be useful for other healthcare staff and providers.
- Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant, Female, Asian, 39, Liberal, CA
I have a very positive impression on the course. The most valuable takeaway for me was understanding the pain management equity and the implicit bias which can hugely impact how a person can treat their patients. This information is of high value for me as I have a changed perspective on how to approach people to make them comfortable with me. The course is correctly paced and is tightly packed with information...This course is very useful for health care staff and providers.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, White, 24, Conservative, NJ
I really liked the course. It was straight-forward and easy to understand. The part that was most valuable was understanding that even when we believe we are going out of our way to not be biased and believe we are treating all patients equally, there may still be an unconscious bias we are unaware of driving what we see, hear, and how we respond. I do think this course would be very usefull for healthcare staff and providers.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, White, 36, Moderate, GA
I think that was a course that every person working in a healthcare setting should take part in. It was very eye-opening and thought provoking. The most valuable information was learning what implicit bias is and how it affects the care we provide and how we view patients. All the strategies provided to prevent bias will be beneficial for me going forward. There is no improvement needed here. It was clear, concise and everything was explained in a way that anyone could understand. This was a great course.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 49, Liberal, NC
I thought the course was amazing at analyzing the experiences of minorities with pain management care and the hidden factors that make it an issue. The most valuable part was seeing the different accounts being analyzed from the patient and the providers perspectives. I think this course was efficient in providing the information and giving the viewers points to consider. This course will be very useful for healthcare staff and providers.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, Black, 26, Moderate, MS
This was very comprehensive. The actions I can take to reduce bias were most valuable. The ideas for actions I can take were new to me. I did not previously know about the cross-race empathy gap. I liked how to course included the perspectives of both the patient and the provider. It didnt paint the provider to be the bad guy. It clearly showed how the interaction was not black and white…This will be very useful for healthcare staff and providers.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, White, Liberal, MA
I felt that this course was valuable to myself. I often feel that I behave differently while communicating to those of the black or Latino community. I have known for some time that I have implicit bias, but I have been unclear on how to combat this bias from Influencing my treatment plan for my patience...I certainly believe it will be a helpful course for healthcare, staff and providers. I also feel that it is an important Training that should be frequently reviewed by healthcare, staff and providers.
- Physician, Male, White, 42, Very Conservative, KS
I really enjoyed the course. I like that the course went over both the why we have these biases/stereotypes as well as the what we can do to improve our own biases. I found the information regarding implicit biases really interesting and informative. I believe this information will be very helpful to other healthcare staff and providers, because knowing that this issue exists and some strategies is a very good way to start combating our own biases.
- Occupational Therapist, Female, White, 20, Very Liberal, IL
It was informative and interesting. The most valuable information in the video was the fact that even though one might try not to be biased, its not always possible due to the implicit bias from our unconscious thinking system. Yes, I learned lots of new information, one being that our brains automatically respond to the pain of people of our race but often dont respond to the pain of a different race...Yes, it would be a useful course for healthcare staff and providers.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 38, Moderate, CA
It was really great to learn about all of this and the different treatment that happens with different races. It was great to learn about information that I had no idea existed and is happening everyday in this country. Many things I learned is so very sad and I hope things will change much in the future and changes are made. The info was presented in an amazingly detailed way and very very good.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, Asian, 53, Very Conservative, CA
I believe this course is well thought out and provides information and techniques to avoid bias that I had not thought about. The most valuable part to me was the actual techniques provided to help avoid bias. So often we hear about bias and are given examples, but not told how, exactly, to avoid unconscious bias...I think this course could be very useful for healthcare staff and providers.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 22, Liberal, TX
My overall impression of the course was positive. I found the sections on mind hacks to be the most helpful and applicable to my particular speciality. Most of the information consisted of things Ive learned about before, but the depth of the research documenting this issue was new to me. One area for improvement could be the section on the physiological explanation of implicit bias. This course is designed for healthcare professionals but the language used in that section was way too simplified for an audience that has extensive education in science and physiology. Overall, I think this would be a useful course for healthcare providers to take.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Male, White, 28, Moderate, AL
I really enjoyed the information and the approach of this video. The most valuable thing to me was being able to hear patient experiences about how they experienced bias in healthcare and suffered from it, even though a commitment to alleviating pain is vital in patient interactions. I felt that these examples allowed me to put myself in the shoes of people who had suffered, and let me evaluate different things in my career I have done that may have been problematic due to implicit biases. I feel that this will be a very good course for every healthcare provider and staff member to experience, especially as a yearly course learning exercise for employment. Being consistently reminded of these things has a greater chance of being put into place by people who take effort to overcome these biases.
- Clinical Lab Assistant, Female, White, 54, Very Liberal, TN
I think the course presented some good points that I did not consider. I have never really thought about the facial expressions and how they could be perceived differently. It made me consider if I do that. I thought it was a good length and kept your attention. I found it useful and think others will as well.
- Direct Care Professional, Female, White, 39, Conservative, IL
I think the course was very well put together. There were interesting stories used as examples and plenty of interactive features. The interactive features were most important to me because they keep me engaged and give me an opportunity to make sure that I am understanding the material…I think this would be a great course for healthcare staff/providers because I think societys increasing issues with drug addiction is making people in the healthcare field more suspicious of those who are experiencing pain of actually being drug seekers, and this course is a good reminder that most people seeking medical help are there for actual medical emergencies.
- Direct Care Professional, Female, Mixed, 31, Liberal, CA
It was very informative to anyone who cant emphasize or put themselves in the shoes of others, if people struggle with stereotypes and biases this would be a great tool. I think it could be useful in a regular annual LMS training for healthcare providers.
- Medical Technician, Female, White, 46, Moderate, NY
I thought that it was well put together and effectively addressed the issue of implicit bias in healthcare settings. I work in healthcare and the quality of this video is quite a bit better than what I have typically experienced in my current job. I dont know that I learned new information as I was already aware of much of the inequities in healthcare that the video referred to, however I appreciated its thoughtful approach.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, White, 28, Very Liberal, OR
I dont have much to say except thank you for that education I plan to share it as much as possible. I am the head nurse to 11 nurses and if I cant find a way for them to learn this directly I will try to teach it myself again thank you for all your hard work and your commitment to patient care.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Male, White, 43, Conservative, VA
How did the course affect your patient care?
It made me really empathize and consider the other person before reacting.
- Bio Med Technician, Male, White, 46, Moderate, OR
I feel like I do a better job of seeing things from my patients point of view when I begin treating them. I try to listen and gather all of the information before I start treating the patient. I also feel like I understand better where I show bias and try to be cognitive of that.
- Direct Care Professional, Home Health Care Worker, Caregiver, Female, White, 44, Conservative, IL
I used the accountability most often. Asking myself if I let any bias affect my judgment in treating any of my patients pain. I didnt usually ask myself such things before the course. I tried to let my patients personal needs and medical conditions speak for themselves. After the course, I was made aware that some biases can be without thought. I now ask myself before and after treatment if I am being fair and unbiased.
- Nurse RN/BSN Sr. Nurse Supervisor and Direct Care Professional for In-Home Care, Female, White, 38, Moderate, VA
It improved the way I interact with all of my patients. Just having the awareness of unconscious bias made me strive to treat everyone equally and not just my patients. I know I strived to listen to everyone better. I think it helped me to not pass judgement or attach stereotypes.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 49, Liberal, NC
I felt more knowledgeable and confident because of that
- Direct Care Professional, Home Health Care Worker, Caregiver, Female, Mixed, 44, Conservative, CA
I am more mindful of my actions and behaviors. I make sure to treat everyone equally and without prejudice or discrimination regardless of what they are seeking medication and or treatment for. I do not typically provide care that is medical in nature, but sometimes I handle patients that have medical comorbidities or a history of chronic pain somewhere; I do my best to provide equal, quality care for both my medical and psychiatric/behavioral patients alike.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Asian, 31, Moderate, NV
Overall just trying to listen to my patients more, especially when they report symptoms of pain. Taking the complaints of younger, healthy patients (especially women) more seriously. When patients present multiple times for the same compliant, try to figure out what we are missing as a healthcare community.
- Physician, Female, Black, 27, Liberal, CO
The course affected my patient care by making me a more mindful nurse. It equipped me with knowledge that I take with me each day at work, and I strive to minimize my own unconscious bias.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Mixed, 42, Moderate, AR
I find myself using more objective pain scales (numeric) rather than just my perception of their pain as well as consulting everyone in the IDT to generate an appropriate treatment plan.
- Therapist, Female, Asian, 31, Liberal, WA
The course helped me to remember to check my on biases and experiences while Im caring for patients.
- Direct Care Professional, Home Health Care Worker, Caregiver, Female, White, 20, Very Liberal, IL
If I was seeing a patient that met the demographic for my unconscious bias i would try to consciously and purposefully align my thought process on if the decisions I am making are the ones I would make for the demographic that I do not have a bias towards. Especially in regards to presenting symptoms and what diagnostic tests I would order in regards to those symptoms
- Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant, Male, White, 31, Moderate, TX
Since learning the course material, I have been much more vigilant in watching out for bias in my own actions, as well as co-workers. I have addressed areas where I have noticed bias in myself and in the care of patients. I have developed strategies to avoid it, such as pausing in my work and assessing whether I am providing the best care possible.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 22, Liberal, TX
It helped me to recognize my bias for prescribing pain, medication’s indifferent populations, and recognizing when my personal bias affects my willingness to prescribe pain medication in groups at higher risk for drug abuse, and who have a lower social economic status
- Physician, Male, White, 42, Very Conservative, KS