Correlation Between Pharmacy Students’ Implicit Bias Scores, Explicit Bias Scores, and Responses to Clinical Cases

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent of implicit and explicit bias in a sample of pharmacy students and to determine whether there is an association between implicit bias, explicit bias, and responses to clinical cases.Methods. Investigators sent links to two online surveys to students at six US schools and colleges of pharmacy. In the first survey, students responded to two clinical cases. Students were presented with a picture of a White or Black patient with each clinical case. On the second survey, students indicated their level of racial implicit bias as assessed by the Harvard Implicit Association Test and their level of racial explicit bias. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the correlation between bias and responses to the clinical cases.Results. Three hundred fifty-seven first, second, and third year pharmacy students responded to both surveys (response rate 52%). The students who were presented with the picture of a Black patient rated the patient's pain and the reliability of the patient's family as higher than students presented with the picture of a White patient. Students had more negative implicit and explicit bias towards Black patients. Neither implicit nor explicit bias correlated with student responses to the clinical cases.Conclusion. Evidence of slight to moderate negative implicit bias and slight negative explicit bias towards Black patients was identified in this group of pharmacy students. Future studies that include a more representative population and heighten the stakes of the clinical scenario should be done to investigate a possible correlation between bias and clinical behaviors.