Title: Implicit biases: Interference in culturally congruent provision of health care

Biography:

Marie M. Spivey is a Principal/Consultant with the System for Education, Equity & Transition, LLC (SEET Consultants, LLC).  She is a Registered Nurse who holds an EdD and MPA, both from the University of Hartford, and a BS Degree in Human Service from Southern New Hampshire University. She is professionally focused to present forward-thinking insights into the strategic planning process of organizational decision-makers and academic classrooms in order to enhance their ability to incorporate culturally and linguistically appropriate services and standards into their policies, procedures and practices. She is an innovative inter organizational leader and educator prepared to provide professional staff of clinical organizations and agencies with a better understanding of health inequities directly affecting the quality of life of the individuals and families they serve. She aids health care organizations to recognize internal implicit biases, and racial discriminatory injustices as a means to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into their policies, procedures, practices and academic teachings. This process enables organizations and classroom teachings to effectively and efficiently improve common understanding and value of learned cultural congruence.

Abstract

Nurses and healthcare professionals across the world have unconsciously internalized implicit biases within their services, influenced by pervasive learned behavior, attitudes, and stereotypes. These biases can easily interfere with our understanding, actions, and decisions when healthcare services are performed. Such features can also be evidenced in healthcare organizations’ recruitment, support, and retention policies, as well as the education and training elements included in academic curricula. Initial classroom preparation for nurses is based on an environment of learning related to the nursing Code of Ethics, legal requirements, care management, quality improvement, and in the world of changing responsibilities – systems-level change management. However, opportunities to elicit perceptions of discrimination and discomfort in an unobtrusive manner from a diverse student body remains untouched. The objective of this presentation is to promote the inclusion of underlying academic policies to attract, advance and better prepare nurses by embedding building blocks of self-assessment, self-advocacy, and the identification of implicit bias into every aspect of teaching, learning, and practice for all nurses.  In order to heighten the culturally congruent understanding and performance critically required for patient satisfaction, nurses must also have continuous opportunities to effectively improve communications that enhance peer-to-peer working relationships. Nurses will emerge from professional development opportunities possessing a higher level of comfort and knowledge in their ability to demonstrate more culturally congruent communication with peers, patients, other healthcare professionals and stakeholders. In so doing, they will have the ability to facilitate the achievement of health equity, strengthened relationships, and a framework for cultural competence.