Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36841888›Full record

ReviewJournal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association2023

Transmission of negative biases through social commentary included in neonatal intensive care unit progress notes.

Henna Shaikh, Zeenia Billimoria, Daron Vandeleur, Elliott M Weiss, Maneesh Batra, Anna B Hedstrom

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The Use of Biased Language in the Care of Seriously Ill Children: A Pilot Study.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Demographic and clinical predictors and inter-center variability of tube feeding in preterm NICU patients.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025
    Article
  4. Equity, inclusion and cultural humility: contemporizing the neonatal intensive care unit family-centered care model.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Henna ShaikhDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA. henna.a.shaikh@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3328-9301
Zeenia BillimoriaDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Daron VandeleurDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Elliott M WeissDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2473-9638
Maneesh BatraDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Anna B HedstromDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.

Funding

Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine Training GrantT32GM086270 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Tonya M Palermo · 2009 to 2026
$4.3M
NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM086270
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine how the perception of families elicited after reading progress note social commentary differs by patient race. STUDY

designWe retrospectively performed content analysis of social commentary in physician progress notes for neonatal intensive care unit patients hospitalized from 2018-2019. Neonatologists blinded to patient race rated how commentary impacted their perception of the patient's family on a 5-point Likert scale. Frequency of negative ratings was compared across reported race using chi-squared tests.

resultsWe reviewed charts of 460 neonates. In total, 225 (49%) contained social commentary beyond parents' names. Twelve neonatologists rated how commentaries impacted their perception of the patient's family; 79%, 18%, and 3% were rated neutrally, negatively, and positively, respectively. Frequency of negative ratings was significantly greater among American Indian/Alaska Native than other patients (35% vs. 22%, p < 0.001).

conclusionsPhysician documentation of social commentary in patient notes may reflect and perpetuate implicit biases that contribute to race-based healthcare disparities.

Indexed as

Intensive Care Units, NeonatalPhysiciansBiasHumansInfant, NewbornNeonatologistsRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID36841888
PMCPMC9959939

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.