Compared with whites, members of racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive health services and ofen receive lower-quality care. They also have worse health outcomes for certain conditions. To combat these disparities, advocates say health care professionals must explicitly acknowledge that race and racism factor into health care.

The evidence indicates that healthcare professionals exhibit the same levels of implicit bias as the wider population. The interactions between multiple patient characteristics and between healthcare professional and patient characteristics reveal the complexity of the phenomenon of implicit bias and its influence on clinician-patient interaction.

In this update written on the 15th anniversary of the IOM's report, Unequal Treatment, the Joint Commission gives a present state assessment of bias in medical care. Key concepts include implicit or unconscious bias bias and health outcomes. Steps to assess clinical environments for bias and ways to reduce it are outlined.

"How could bias, prejudice, and stereotyping contribute to unequal treatment, particularly given that healthcare providers are sworn to beneficence and cannot, by law, discriminate against any patient on the basis of race, ethnicity, color or national origin? This brief summary of the IOM Unequal Treatment report addresses this question and summarizes other relevant findings..."