Bias in the Chart? Black Patients More Likely to Be Doubted by Doctors

Key Takeaways

In analyzed electronic health records, Black patients were more likely than white patients to have notes from clinicians undermining their credibility.

While such language appeared in less than 1% of more than 13 million notes analyzed, the authors said its use points to broader racial disparities.

That implicit bias could have broad consequences that include an erosion of trust, a lower likelihood of patients seeking future medical care, and even errors or death.

Black patients were more likely than white patients to have notes from their clinicians questioning their sincerity or competence, a study found.

In a cross-sectional analysis of more than 13 million notes in electronic health records, Black patients had higher odds of having credibility-undermining terms in th