The Impact of Bias on Health Equity and the Human Experience


The Beryl Institute releases “The Impact of Bias on Health Equity and the Human Experience,” identifying what bias looks like in healthcare and acknowledging its serious and lasting consequences on patient outcomes and overall experience. In this paper, healthcare leaders share what they have learned about addressing bias and acknowledge the immediate need to begin rebuilding trust with those they serve. Patients and families share their lived experiences of being exposed to bias and how it has impacted their overall approach to healthcare and what needs to change.

The paper is grounded in the foundational ideas of The New Existence, a call to action by the Institute community focused on leading to a new future for healthcare. The paper demonstrates the community’s commitment to a declaration to transform the human experience in healthcare, to dismantle systemic racism and prejudice, tackle disparities and provide the highest quality, most equitable care possible. “The Impact of Bias on Health Equity and the Human Experience” offers tangible ways in which organizations, leaders and the community can create a path to health equity through intentional action to address bias.

The contributors to this paper include Karen Bonner – Buckinghamshire Healthcare; Jennifer Carron Passon – BJC Healthcare; Irfan Dhalla – Unity Health Toronto; Naté Guyton – University of Maryland Medical Centers, Midtown Campus; Maxine Legall – Jewish Board; Dwight McBee – Jefferson Health; Nikki Montgomery – Madvocator Educational and Healthcare Advocacy Training; Kodi B. Pride – Consultant; Brittany R. Randall-Pope – Ohio Guidestone; Kimberly Richardson – Black Cancer Collaborative; Allysa Ware – Family Voices; and members of the Standing Committee on Equity & Inclusion – The Beryl Institute.

Key takeaways include:

  • Impact of bias is both physical and emotional – Patients and families share how they are impacted by bias in healthcare encounters.
  • Loss of trust is a major consequence of bias – Healthcare organizations acknowledge they must earn back the trust of patients by managing their learned biases and providing equitable care to all populations.
  • Addressing bias will improve experience for all – The paper reveals the positive outcomes for organizations that intentionally take action to eliminate bias.

“For far too long, words have not inspired action. We would be guilty of that same offense if this paper were not something more than words.” Jason A. Wolf, PhD, CPXP, President & CEO, The Beryl Institute. “That is why on the pages of this paper, through the raw voices of lived experience and the passionate voices of healthcare leaders, we hope to frame an issue not simply to educate us on what its core ideas – bias, inequity and human experience – mean.”

To access the executive brief, PX paper, and patient reflection visit https://www.theberylinstitute.org/page/PXPapers

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About The Beryl Institute

The Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals and experience champions committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare. As a pioneer and leader of the experience movement and patient experience profession for more than a decade, the Institute offers unparalleled access to unbiased research and proven practices, networking and professional development opportunities and a safe, neutral space to exchange ideas and learn from others.

We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization’s culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care. We believe human experience is grounded in the experiences of patients and families, members of the healthcare workforce and the communities they serve.

About this PX Paper Sponsor: Qualtrics

Qualtrics helps healthcare and life sciences organizations design experiences that improve satisfaction, loyalty and trust. Qualtrics helps organizations deliver a seamless and compassionate healthcare experience by optimizing the moments that matter most to patients, employees and communities. Qualtrics delivers the most comprehensive platform for strategic experience management, helping healthcare organizations listen to patients and employees on their terms, uncover what matters most and act quickly to create meaningful impact. The AI-powered solutions also help leaders understand the key drivers of patient, staff and member behavior, predict what patients want and automate actions that make it faster, easier and more efficient to personalize experiences at scale. Qualtrics is a CMS-approved vendor for all required CAHPS programs, and the only HITRUST-certified and FEDRAMP-compliant experience management platform on the market, so organizations can confidently collect and analyze data knowing sensitive information is secure. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com/healthcare.

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