Implicit gender bias in the diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes

Implicit gender bias in the diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes: A randomized online study

Skvortsova, A. (Universiteit Leiden; McGill University)
Meeuwis, S.J.F. (Universiteit Leiden; Jagiellonian University)
Vos, R. C. (Leiden University Medical Center)
Vos, H. M.M. (Leiden University Medical Center)
van Middendorp, H. (Universiteit Leiden)
Veldhuijzen, D. S. (Universiteit Leiden)
Evers, A.W.M. (TU Delft Applied Ergonomics and Design; Universiteit Leiden; Leiden University Medical Center)

2023

Aims: Implicit gender biases (IGBs) are unconscious evaluations about a person based on gender. IGBs of healthcare providers may affect medical decision making. This study investigated whether IGBs and genders of patients and general practitioners (GPs) influence diagnostics and treatment decisions in the context of diabetes type 2. Methods: Ninety-nine GPs participated in this randomized online study. Implicit Associations Tasks were used to measure two IGBs, related to lifestyle (women have a healthier lifestyle than men) and communication (men are less communicative than women). Clinical decisions regarding type 2 diabetes were measured with vignettes that included a fictional male or female patient case. Results: Female GPs exhibited a significant lifestyle IGB (p < 0.001). GPs of both genders exhibited a significant communication IGB (p < 0.001). Several associations between IGBs and clinical decisions were found. The gender of the vignette character affected several outcomes, for example GPs were less certain in the diabetes diagnosis when the character was a woman (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We demonstrated that GPs have IGBs and these biases as well as patient's gender affect decisions of GP's when they are solving a diabetes vignette case. Future research is needed to understand the most important consequences of IGBs in the context of type 2 diabetes.

gender bias
general practitioner
implicit associations tasks
implicit bias
type 2 diabetes
vignettes

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e6400e10-2517-4bba-9f30-45df0f4c03e9

https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.15087

0742-3071

Diabetic Medicine, 40 (8)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 A. Skvortsova, S.J.F. Meeuwis, R. C. Vos, H. M.M. Vos, H. van Middendorp, D. S. Veldhuijzen, A.W.M. Evers