Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39020144›Full record

ArticleJournal of racial and ethnic health disparities2025

Provider Implicit Racial Bias in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease.

Siddika S Mulchan, Christopher B Theriault, Susan DiVietro, Mark D Litt, Javeed Sukhera, Paula Tanabe, Hannah R Thomas, William T Zempsky, Donna Boruchov, Adam T Hirsh

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Article in Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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

What it found

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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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

10 authors.

Siddika S MulchanConnecticut Children's, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA. ssmulchan@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-8380-3735
Christopher B TheriaultConnecticut Children's, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
Susan DiVietroConnecticut Children's, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
Mark D LittDepartment of Behavioral Sciences, UConn Health, Farmington, USA.
Javeed SukheraDepartment of Psychiatry, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, USA.
Paula TanabeDuke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC, USA.
Hannah R ThomasDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.
William T ZempskyConnecticut Children's, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
Donna BoruchovConnecticut Children's, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
Adam T HirshIndiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesThis study is to (1) assess implicit racial bias among pediatric providers and (2) use virtual patient (VP) vignettes to determine the impact of implicit racial bias on clinical decision-making in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) pain care. DESIGN/

methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at a mid-sized, freestanding children's hospital in the northeast. Participants (N = 52) were pediatric SCD providers (87% cisgender female, 90% White, M age = 38.78). Providers completed a demographic questionnaire, the race Implicit Association Test (IAT) with adult and child faces, and a measure of SCD explicit bias (5-point Likert scale). Providers also made clinical decisions for four VP vignettes depicting Black and White youth in the emergency department (ED) with either SCD or cancer pain. Frequency tables were calculated.

resultsOn the race IAT, providers demonstrated a pro-White implicit bias for both adult (81%) and child (89%) faces. Responses to the explicit bias measure reflected low levels of agreement with negative stereotypes about SCD patients. No significant differences emerged in providers' pain treatment decisions for Black vs. White, or SCD vs. cancer VPs.

conclusionsFindings indicate pediatric providers harbor implicit racial bias similar to the general population. Findings from VP vignettes did not demonstrate that pain treatment decision-making differed based on race or diagnosis. This may be due to standardized protocols and procedures in the pediatric emergency setting. Future research is needed to clarify the role of implicit bias in clinical decision-making and the potential efficacy of treatment protocols in preventing biases from interfering with pediatric SCD pain care.

Indexed as

Anemia, Sickle CellAttitude of Health PersonnelRacismAdultBlack or African AmericanChildClinical Decision-MakingCross-Sectional StudiesEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain ManagementSurveys and QuestionnairesWhiteHealth equityImplicit biasPediatricsSickle cell disease

Identifiers

PMID39020144

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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.