title: Why do providers contribute to disparities and what can be done about it?
abstract: This paper applies social cognition research to understanding and ameliorating the provider contribution to racial/ethnic disparities in health care. We discuss how fundamental cognitive mechanisms such as automatic, unconscious processes (e.g., stereotyping) can help explain provider bias. Even well-intentioned providers who are motivated to be nonprejudiced may stereotype racial/ethnic minority members, particularly under conditions of that diminish cognitive capacity. These conditions-time pressure, fatigue, and information overload-are frequently found in health care settings. We conclude with implications of the social-cognitive perspective for developing interventions to reduce provider bias.
authors.affiliation: Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research, VA Health Services Research Center of Excellence, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, MN 55417, USA. Diana.Burgess@med.va.gov
authors.forename: Diana J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: Steven S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Ryn
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011287:Prejudice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D044465:White People