Prevalence of Bias
Biases define how people positively or negatively behave towards people based on implicit or explicit feelings. Biases have a negative impact on the healthcare system because they compromise the ability to make sound judgements regarding healthcare delivery. The reinforcement of structural racism and implicit bias is a contributor to negative consequences for racialized minorities who are inhibited from having the best quality services. Therefore, women who are obese, from the lowest socioeconomic class or with mental illnesses experience some level of bias (Vela et al., 2022). A United Nations global report found that almost 90% of people have some form of bias against women (Villines, 2021). Biases are also seen in the waiting time for care or diagnosis, where it takes longer time for women than men to get the right treatment. This is demonstrated by a study on a CPR test where 45% of the men compared to 39% female that were given treatment for public cardiac arrest. These biases are mainly intrinsic since societal norms reinforce them, though the liberation of the sector is rapidly changing this aspect.
Consequences of Bias
Bias is negative for women’s health outcomes because it deprives them of accessing similar health needs as their male counterparts. There is an aspect of handling physical pain like a grown-up, which works to a possibility of inaccurate and inadequate treatment since their pain is never taken seriously (Concern Worldwide, 2022). Women are sometimes seen as exaggerating the extent of pain owing to being emotional; thus, doctors or practitioners may intentionally fail to account for the needs of the patient, yet the condition is dire, thus causing death or complicating their health. Additionally, bias can manifest during pregnancy, where society naturally expects women to carry the baby without regarding the physical health of the mother. In this way, the doctor may be hesitant to undertake a medical operation even when the health of the mother is at stake. Finally, women may fail to access healthcare after sexual assault based on the stereotypes and stigmas pegged on such survivors (Concern Worldwide, 2022). In response, they may make a decision not to seek medical health, thus risking their life altogether. Therefore, it is imperative to note that bias can have fatal consequences, especially where it is implicit and an individual has a limited role but is greatly reinforced by society.
Legal and ethical obligations
Gender perspective has always been incorporated in population-oriented healthcare policies to limit the potential negative consequences of bias. There have been policies regarding part-time employment in women and higher lengths of paid leaves, which were supposed to respond to the inequalities in the gender norms and dynamics in power, thus allowing for women to have more access to economic resources while participating in the social programs (Crespí-Lloréns et al., 2021). Secondly, there is the WHO’s policy on gender equality, which is a target for governments and civil societies in achieving equality of health through programs and research that make health access equal for men and women. This also aims to build capacity among staff and provide the financial resources that would help bridge the gap that exists due to financial disparities between men and women. Finally, there is the PAHO gender equality policy, which requires attaining an optimal health status among men and women, thus ensuring that the level of health is similar among everybody (WHO, n.d.). This is important because it holds that it is ethically plausible if there is no barrier to health dispensation among men and women.
Ongoing evaluation and improvement
The contemporary health system remains cognizant of the specific challenges affecting women and thus has initiated programs to target the needs of women. Most interventions have been specifically incorporated to target implicit bias, which often goes unnoticed among various subjects. Since culture and society remain ingrained in the people, there continues to be a concerted effort to target all societies where women have limited voice. One aspect is the address to compositional diversity, where more women are given opportunities in healthcare (Vela et al., 2022). This is a continuous process which has seen more women nurses who will leverage their numbers to champion and advocate for the abolition of bias.
Additionally, more training to focus on the bioethical principles of fairness, reciprocity, and justice should form the core of practitioners and service providers, and this should be an integral part of their training (Vela et al., 2022). In this manner, they would realize the need for treating all humans as equal creatures to override the biases. Finally, targeting the structural inequalities outside the healthcare system is also important in continually making society aware of the need to propagate equality. Communities will, therefore, gradually appreciate the specific healthcare needs of women, which should never put them to any shame. In most societies, there is progress in this regard, thus opening more space for women to seek healthcare services freely.
References
Concern Worldwide. (2022, July 26). The deadly inequities of gender bias in healthcare. Concern Worldwide. https://www.concern.net/news/gender-bias-in-healthcare
Crespí-Lloréns, N., Hernández-Aguado, I., & Chilet-Rosell, E. (2021). Have Policies Tackled Gender Inequalities in Health? A Scoping Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(1), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010327
Vela, M. B., Erondu, A. I., Smith, N. A., Peek, M. E., Woodruff, J. N., & Chin, M. H. (2022). Eliminating explicit and implicit biases in health care: Evidence and research needs. Annual Review of Public Health, 43(1). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052620-103528
Vela, M. B., Erondu, A. I., Smith, N. A., Peek, M. E., Woodruff, J. N., & Chin, M. H. (2022). Eliminating Explicit and Implicit Biases in Health Care: Evidence and Research Needs. Annual review of public health, 43, 477–501. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052620-103528
Villines, Z. (2021, October 25). Gender bias in healthcare: Examples and consequences. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gender-bias-in-healthcare
WHO. (n.d.). Pan American Health Organization. https://www3.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2009/PAHOGenderEqualityPolicy2005.pdf
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