3 Ways Nurses Can Assess Their Bias

During April's "Celebrate Diversity Month," AORN plans to spotlight those working to create a more diverse and inclusive perioperative nursing environment.

Perioperative nurses witness the power of earning a patient’s trust every day. They feel it when a patient has less anxiety going into surgery. And they celebrate their role in contributing to a successful surgical outcome.

"However, what is more challenging for a nurse to recognize and acknowledge are any unconscious biases they may project – even through subtle expressions like a frown or a stare," says Debra Callender, DNP, RN, CNOR, CSSM, administrative director of Surgical & Orthopedic Services at AdventHealth in Sebring, FL.

She says it’s much easier than you think to stereotype someone based on their accent, ethnicity, identity, or gender. “But make no mistake, the patient feels your stereotype.”

In surgical care, bias and discrimination are known factors in poor surgical outcomes as well as broader health inequities that affect whether a patient feels safe from discrimination to even seek care.

How Nurses Can Check Their Bias

At AORN's annual conference in early March, Callender led a session offering valuable insights on mitigating biases that could impact patient care.  And she urged every nurse to both model and advocate for these strategies:

1. Complete a Self-Assessment

Continuously monitor your actions and perspectives to evaluate how they might be perceived by a patient and influence the delivery of their care. “Remember that you are more likely to project bias when caring for a patient who is different from you or whose choices differ from yours,” she said. “So be aware of your words, your body language, and your opinions that could indicate to a patient that you are stereotyping them.”  

Helpful tool: Take this DEI Self-Assessment.

2. Put Your Patient’s Needs in Perspective

See every patient as a unique, whole person who’s entrusting you to provide safe, optimal-care—the same as you would want for yourself or your loved ones. Start by asking yourself: “Would I be receptive to the care I am delivering?”

Beyond personal actions, she encourages nurses to advocate for regular in-services on implicit bias, as well as diversity and inclusion. “Nurses can also take an active role in creating a policy to reinforce these issues within their institution.”

Policy Template: Review this sample DEI Policy and Pledge template.

3. Keep Learning

“Diversity speaks many languages and has many faces,” she said. “As we all learn more about what it means to live in a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture, we can continue to think differently about ways to curb our bias and fuel healthy patient-to-nurse relationships.” She encourages perioperative nurses to learn about implicit bias as part of DEI education in healthcare.

Resources

• Watch Debra Callender’s AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo Session, "DEI Journey 'Are we there yet?' The Positive and Negative Impact of Implicit Biases".
• Education Resource: Learn from this webinar on DEI in Healthcare.