10 Strategies to Address Bias in
Pain Management
Laura M. Cascella, MA
Bias in pain management
is an ongoing and complex
issue in healthcare. Research
has shown disparities in pain
management in relation
to race, ethnicity, gender,
and socioeconomic status.
Complicating matters, many
instances of bias are implicit,
creating a need not only to
address the bias, but also
to raise awareness of its
existence.
Recognizing and addressing
bias are imperative. Failure to
treat pain or poorly treated
pain can interfere with
how patients recover from
illnesses and procedures,
which can potentially cascade
into numerous patient safety
and financial consequences,
such as increased morbidity,
hospitalizations and
readmissions, and liability
exposure. Additionally, bias
in pain treatment may lead
to misdiagnosis, unnecessary
patient suffering, lack of
patient trust in healthcare
providers, communication
lapses, and failure to provide
patient-centered care. 1
Researchers have studied
and proposed a variety of
techniques to reduce bias in
pain management, and many
addressing discrimination
OMS are takin g steps to
acknowledge and address this
3. Developing a protocol
issue. Some strategies that
to investigate reports of
have been recommended at
discrimination or unfair
the institutional level include:
policies/practices
1. Administering the Implicit
Association Test (IAT)
4. Supporting provider and
staff training that raises
to assess subconscious
awareness about bias in
feelings, attitudes, and
thoughts among providers
healthcare and teaches
strategies that support
that may contribute to
stereotypes and bias in
health equality
treatment decisions
5. Leveraging data
capabilities to monitor
2. Surveying providers and
staff to better understand
and compare patient
how they perceive the
treatment and outcomes
by race, gender, and
organization’s policies
socioeconomic indicators
and actions related to
improving diversity and