Reducing racial and gender bias in clinical treatment recommendations using a peer network of clinicians in an experimental setting.

Centola, D., Guilbeault, D., Sarkar, U., et al. Reduction of racial and gender bias in clinical treatment recommendations using a peer network of clinicians in an experimental setting. nat commun 12, 6585 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26905-5

Commentary

Race and gender are associated as biases in clinical practice and are persistent causes of healthcare disparities.

In this study, we prepared an experimental setting and investigated the potential of a peer network approach to reduce bias in treatment decisions. The experiment was presented via a video depicting a patient claiming to have chest pain. Recommendations for the clinical management of the patient scenario were then developed in an information exchange network.

The results showed that there was a significant difference in the treatment recommendations given for the white male patient role and the black female patient role. This means that in a real clinical setting, the likelihood of receiving an unsafe treatment is much higher. Clinicians who were asked to independently review an experimental control group did not show a significant reduction in bias, but clinicians who exchanged information within a structured peer network greatly improved accuracy and showed no bias in their final recommendations.

The findings suggest that network interventions for clinicians may be used in health care settings to reduce disparities in care.