A new virtual reality training programme aims to tackle biases in healthcare settings, aimed at improving recognition, understanding, and addressing implicit bias towards black mothers.
Participants in the program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign underwent a series of three modules, with the first module focusing on implicit bias and how it can negatively affect a patient at a doctor’s appointment.
In the training, medical students and physicians observe an interaction between a black patient and a white male doctor at a postpartum checkup. The physician dismisses the woman’s symptoms and makes comments about her family life, based on negative stereotypes about black people. Participants see the interaction and are asked to pay attention to how the patient reacted the comments made toward her.
Participants said that the training helped them to communicate better with patients, after a pretest, VR training, and a post-test.
Once the training was completed, participants reported an improvement in attitude towards implicit bias and a greater understanding of effective communication, increasing attentiveness towards verbal and nonverbal cues in future interactions.
As well as addressing implicit bias, future training modules aim to teach students about disparities associated with class, sexual orientation, or citizenship.
Mardia Bishop, communications professor, University of Illinois, commented: “A lecture format is not good for this because a lot of times you have to make people feel, or you have to see what’s going on. You have to see what is said and how what is said affects the patient.”