The Virus of Bias

“First, do no harm” – Roman physician Galen’s advice for patient safety and care –works for practitioners in their battle against biologic toxins that challenge death, dysfunction, and disease. But what of the social “poisons” that disrupt and prompt practitioners to attack, discount, avoid, or harm? HIV/AIDs, West Nile, SARs, GI infections, ebola, influenza, pneumonia, MRSA, hepatitis, herpes, and TB - they all destroy lives. But so, too, do “viruses of bias.”

Virus originally meant “poisonous fluid” and “bias” means “slant in favor or against someone – for no sound reason.” Biases sponsor mindless and merit-less favoritism. They detract/distract – compromising or poisoning vital communications, trust, information and idea sharing, good decision-making, and provider/patient partnerships. Biases equal social toxins –“loose thinking, tightly held.”

Racism, one of many “ism” viruses, thrives among susceptible human carriers and hosts. It targets perceived racial membership and assigns superior treatment to some and deep discounting and disrespect to others. It promotes a close-minded fixation on perceived racial membership as a proxy for actual exploration and discovery of folks’ intelligence, capacity, and character. Other social viruses deliver distortions around gender, social class, age, sexual orientation, body weight, disabilities, language/accent, religion, lifestyle preferences, Medicaid, hygiene, non-compliance, etc. Flaws: You cannot know people’s full depth from selectively fixating on only one of their attributes. You can’t artificially deflate or inflate the worth of some to rig your regard for others.

See yourself being critical, judgmental, discounting, suspicious, impatient, or apathetic towards someone dramatically different. Feel the discomfort of talking in detail, raising insights or questions, and going the extra mile with someone whose race, gender, social class, religious, or lifestyle background is different from yours. Notice how much you like folks who hold your political and civic sentiments, who are well-spoken and comfortably compliant with what you ask them to do. Pause when you notice and feel bothered by someone’s body size, style, sexual orientation, Medicaid status, non-compliance, or apparent pedigree. Don’t duck, run for cover, bellow denials - “I’m too busy to be biased.” sound a retreat, or think you’re in the Twilight Zone. Don’t pretend to be too prominent, preoccupied, fatigued or clueless to grasp the sneaky power of such social pathogens and poisons at work.

Do the right thing: scrub, sterilize, challenge, disinfect. Show up/step up when the social toxins do. “Viral” ignorance is not bliss. It keeps us fractured, off balance, prone to avoidance or short cuts, conversationally uncomfortable, and stuck on stupid. The solutions include: close scrutiny, vigilant diversity respect, and continuing commitment to scrub, sterilize or disinfect. Don’t be a biased perpetrator or spectator. Embrace provider/patient partnership – not hosts, carriers, proxies or distorted thoughts. Focus–for life on “First, do no harm.”

I’m Dr. Tom Gordon, joining Dr. Thaddeus John Bell, in Closing the Gap in Health Disparities for African Americans.

Bell Update Volume 3, Chapter 4

Copyright January 2008