WS9 - 06: IMPLICIT BIAS IN SURGICAL TRAINING: RAISING AWARENESS IN OUR COMMUNITY
Judith French, PhD, Samuel Zolin, MD, Ajita Prabhu, MD, Jeremy Lipman, MD; Cleveland Clinic

Background: Implicit bias represents unconscious associations people make regarding other individuals’ characteristics (e.g., race, gender, age, etc.).  These mental shortcuts develop through direct contact with people and through indirect means like media representation. Almost everyone possesses some form of implicit bias and the surgical community is not immune. Healthcare disparities permeate surgery like all other specialties. The surgical workforce is also not representative of the population of patients it treats. Recent research has also shown that female surgical residents receive less intraoperative autonomy than their male peers. The potential impact of implicit bias on surgical practice and education cannot be ignored.

Purpose: The purpose of this workshop is to provide attendees with a basic framework and instructional tools to raise awareness of implicit bias at their home program.

Methods: Participants will be given the opportunity to complete an online implicit association test at the beginning of the session.* This test serves as an initial self-assessment and to raise awareness of the availability of such resources. A short didactic will then cover subject background and basic definitions. Group discussions will constitute the bulk of the workshop.  Scenarios will be provided to small groups  to generate discussion. These scenarios will highlight instances of implicit bias and guided questions will aid in group discussion. A large group debrief will allow attendees the opportunity to hear discussion points from other groups. The session will end with a brainstorm of other potential methods of instruction and management. All workshop materials will be available for participants to bring back and teach at their home institutions.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the impact of implicit bias on patients, trainees, and peers.

2. Differentiate between fast traps and slow traps.

3. Discuss scenarios that can be used to raise awareness of implicit bias at her/his home program.

4. Select different methods of instruction for implicit bias training and management.

*Attendees, please bring a device (smartphone, tablet, laptop) to connect to the Internet.