Mitigating Implicit Bias in Healthcare
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Pharmacy Tech
Course Overview
Implicit bias is the unconscious attitudes, stereotypes, and beliefs that can influence an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Implicit bias can contribute to discrimination in healthcare, which results in patients receiving different levels of care due to uncertainty in communication and clinical decision-making related to these biases, prejudices, and stereotypes. Implicit biases can manifest as microaggressions. There are strategies to mitigate implicit bias; however, evidence suggests that one-time interventions are ineffective and that lasting change requires persistent, long-term strategies.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Describe what implicit bias is and how it can manifest in healthcare
- Describe how implicit bias can affect clinical judgment and behavior in healthcare settings
- Identify strategies for mitigating implicit bias in healthcare
Faculty
- Introduction
- Understanding Implicit Bias
- Misunderstandings or Misconceptions about Implicit Bias
- Microaggression as a Form of Implicit Bias
- Healthcare Professionals have Implicit Biases
- Consequences of Implicit Bias
- Implicit Bias and Clinical Judgments and Behaviors
- Implicit Bias, Patient Trust, and Treatment Adherence
- Assessing Implicit Bias
- Strategies for Mitigating Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- Increased Awareness
- Controlling Automatic Responses
- Creating an Inclusive Work and Learning Environment
- Using Objective Decision-making
- Seeking Feedback
- Encouraging Open and Honest Communication
- Monitoring and Evaluating Progress
- Long-lasting Mitigation of Implicit Bias
- Summary
From January 29, 2026 through January 29, 2029, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to CPE Monitor®.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in planning, developing, and/or authoring this activity: L. Austin Fredrickson, MD, FACP; Steven Malen, PharmD, MBA; and Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships related to the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
Please ensure the device you plan to use meets these requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 / Mac OS X 10.9 or later / iOS / Android
- Supported Browsers: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera
- A connection to the internet
Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
PTCB Recognition
RxCe.com, LLC, offers pharmacy technician continuing education courses for PTCB recertification. Pharmacy technician courses are indicated both in the Target Audience description and the ACPE UAN which will end with a "T".