Do clinicians have an implicit bias in favor of specific disease over nonspecific illness?

Some patients and clinicians have an explicit preference to associate symptoms with specific pathology. This bias can manifest in relatively specific names for illnesses with nonspecific symptoms and signs such as radial tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, and fibromyalgia. This might be a ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychosomatic research 2022-12, Vol.163, p.111062-111062, Article 111062
Main Authors: Kitziger, Raymond, Kortlever, Joost T.P., Ring, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bias, Implicit
Conscious bias
Explicit bias
Humans
Implicit bias
Musculoskeletal
Nonspecific illnesses
Specific illnesses
Unconscious bias
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Summary:Some patients and clinicians have an explicit preference to associate symptoms with specific pathology. This bias can manifest in relatively specific names for illnesses with nonspecific symptoms and signs such as radial tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, and fibromyalgia. This might be a manifestation of a desire for a sense of control and measurable as an unconscious bias for specific over non-specific illnesses. There are no factors independently associated with orthopedic surgeon unconscious bias against non-specific illness; Is there a relationship between clinician unconscious bias and clinician explicit preference regarding non-specific illness? An implicit association test was used to evaluate clinician implicit bias regarding specific and nonspecific illnesses. Demographic information and explicit preference were collected from consented clinicians. Musculoskeletal clinicians have moderate explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) bias in favor of specific illnesses over nonspecific illnesses. Musculoskeletal clinicians explicitly and implicitly favor specific over nonspecific illnesses. Given the notable prevalence of symptoms that are never associated with discrete pathology, care strategies designed to neutralize bias against non-specific illness have the potential to reduce low value tests and treatments; 2) avoid diagnoses that imply specific pathology when the illness is characterized by the absence of verifiable objective pathology; and 3) prioritize interventions known to enhance health among people with no identifiable pathology. •Musculoskeletal clinicians have explicit and implicit bias for specific illnesses.•No clinician demographics associated with bias in favor of specific illnesses.•No correlation between explicit and implicit bias regarding (non)specific illness.
ISSN:0022-3999
1879-1360
DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111062