THE IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMPLICIT BIAS ON MATERNAL MORTALITY OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE UNITED STATES: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Maternal death is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as death from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management or within 42 days of termination of a pregnancy. Black, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander women have a maternal mortality rate of roughly 3, 2.3, and 1.09 times higher than the maternal mortality rate for White women, respectively. Even when studies make adjustments for factors known to cause disparities in healthcare, clear racial disparities remain. Additionally, new research shows that many pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, with a review indicating that patient/family factors as well as provider and systems of care factors have the largest impact. Provider bias appears to be a factor for racial disparities in the maternal mortality rate, as evident from multiple studies. There are two classes of bias: (1) explicit bias and (2) implicit bias. Explicit bias is when individuals are aware of their prejudice towards a certain group of people while implicit bias, also known as unconscious bias, is when individuals are unaware of their prejudice. Unfortunately, implicit bias occurs because of how our brains are wired, which makes it critical to address. However, there is a difference between stereotyping and prejudice. Stereotyping is generalized thoughts about another person based on their membership in a group while prejudice is the negative attitude towards an individual because of their membership in a group. Racism is explicit bias, implicit bias, or behavioral action towards someone due to their race or ethnicity. This paper seeks to review scholars’ concerns about the role of implicit bias from healthcare in the maternal mortality rate of women of color, specifically in the United States by looking at evidence of adverse maternal outcomes for women of color.