To overcome potential racial bias, physicians should use digitized protocols when making decisions about patient care, according to a research paper co-written by Brad Greenwood, an associate professor of Information Systems and Operations Management in George Mason University’s School of Business.
Greenwood and his co-authors examined the role that racial bias may play in the decision to choose amputation over revascularization, which tries to restore a body part through surgery, in diabetes care. The authors found racial disparity in the decision-making process related to choosing amputation or revascularization.. However, that disparity decreased when physicians used clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in their examination of patients.
Clinical decision support systems generate a digital index of characteristics to formulate patient care recommendations. When health care providers follow digital protocols, patient care is more evenhanded across racial lines, according Greenwood and his coauthors.
“CDSS prompts physicians to ask for specific objective pieces of information from a patient, allowing a more complete picture of what each patient is experiencing,” Greenwood said.” In the absence of something formally prompting physicians to go through all the information about the patient, sometimes physicians make assumptions about their patients.”
The paper, titled “The role of decision support systems in attenuating racial biases in healthcare delivery,” is being published in “Management Science,” a peer-reviewed academic journal.
Nirup Menon, chair of Information Systems and Operations Management, said the findings could be helpful in reducing racial disparity in health care.
"Most of us think of information systems as simply making work more efficient or life more convenient,” Menon said. “This study shows that information systems, particularly clinical decision support systems in hospitals, can reduce racial disparities in decision-making. The study provides an evidence-based impetus for managers and policymakers to promote the implementation of these types of systems in clinics and hospitals.”
To reach Brad Greenwood, email him at brad.n.greenwood@gmail.com
For more information, contact Anna Stolley Persky at apersky@gmu.edu