Cultural Diversity, Bias, and Patient Safety: A Case-Based Discussion

Abstract

BackgroundSocial and cultural bias on the part of both patients and health care workers is common in the surgical setting. When bias generates behavior that influences patient care strategies or disrupts operational flow, quality suffers and patient safety is threatened. MethodsA subgroup composed of members of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Patient Safety and the Workforce on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion joined to create and discuss clinical scenarios where patient or provider bias and oppression compromised patient safety. A transcript of the first video discussion is included, along with a brief discussion. ResultsDiscussants agreed that cultural diversity needs to improve within the cardiothoracic surgical specialty. Whereas all agreed that bias and oppression have the potential to impair patient safety and that the clinical result was of primary importance, opinions differed regarding the most effective verbal response to a biased patient. ConclusionsCultural and gender bias in clinical cardiothoracic surgical practice has the very real potential to compromise patient safety. As cultural and gender diversity in the cardiothoracic surgical workforce is improving, patients are expected to accept and embrace a more diverse surgical team.