Healthcare Bias: An Invisible Pandemic

The first systematic review to quantify the impact of bias on patient outcomes – and how we confront it.

Our report, the first global systematic review of healthcare professional (HCP) bias, led by our behavioural science strategists Fernanda Trevisan and Ellie Glew, explores biases stemming from racial, gender, socioeconomic, and cultural prejudices. Learn more and download the report below.

Bias in healthcare is harming patient outcomes.

As part of our ongoing commitment to tackling bias in healthcare, we’ve partnered with Instapanel to uncover the real impact bias has on patient experiences and health outcomes.

Our research reveals a stark reality: 87% of patients have experienced or witnessed bias in healthcare. And behind every statistic is a real person with a real story.

Our full report ‘Transforming bias in healthcare’, available to download below, reveals the hidden disparities in how patients are diagnosed and treated – often with serious consequences in health outcomes. From overlooked cardiovascular risk factors to underdiagnosed conditions like IPF, unconscious bias among healthcare professionals continues to impact patient outcomes.

Meet some of the patients who share a firsthand experience of bias - because these stories need to be heard.
Meet Karolina.
Meet Sailor.
Meet Louise.
Meet Chris.

Download the report

Discover the shocking truths uncovered in our study.

  • Gender Bias: Women frequently received lower-quality care compared to men, being seen as more ‘communicative’ and as a consequence having their pain taken less seriously
  • Age Bias: As patients age, they were 81% less likely to receive cancer surgery or chemotherapy
  • Race and Ethnic Bias: African American cancer patients in the US face an 8% higher risk of death compared to White patients and were also less likely to be treated by an oncologist or surgeon
  • Stigmatisation Bias: 84% of Type 2 Diabetes patients reported experiencing stigma, such as feeling stigmatised by their doctors, leading to depression and psychological distress
  • And more

We explore how these biases influence diagnostic decisions, treatment plans, and patient interactions globally, and their implications for the pharmaceutical industry. Our report provides comprehensive analyses and offer insights into what pharmaceutical companies can do to mitigate these biases.

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Deadly assumptions: How gender bias is costing women their lives

Gender bias is putting lives at risk. Our latest report, ‘Transforming Bias in Healthcare,’ reveals the hidden disparities in how male and female patients are diagnosed and treated, with serious consequences for women’s health. Learn more from our Senior Strategist, Ellie Glew.

 

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It’s not all in her head. Addressing gender bias within neurology.

Many women and people with a cervix report not feeling heard or having their symptoms taken seriously when seeking treatment. More than four in five women have felt they were not listened to by their healthcare professional. Could this be medical gaslighting? Their symptoms are not ‘all in their head’. It's not just down to ‘hormones’. Their symptoms are real. And so is gender bias. Learn more from our Senior Strategist, Ellie Glew.
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