10 Strategies to Address Bias in
Pain Management (continued)
6. Providing constructive
feedback and innovative
solutions at various levels
(e.g., by department,
care unit, staff role, or
individual) to address
issues of bias
7. Establishing accountability
and expectations
relative to implementing
techniques to reduce bias
and improve quality of
care
8. Devising strategies to
address the burden of
high cognitive workload,
which may result in
providers defaulting to
automatic reasoning and
decision-making processes
that are vulnerable to bias
9. Promoting diversity,
empathy, and
understanding throughout
the organization via
methods such as
intergroup and equal-
status contact, team
building, positive
association, and counter-
stereotype exposure
10. Encouraging providers
and staff to engage
in individual efforts to
address bias through
ongoing education about
debiasing techniques and
cultural awareness 2
These strategies show
promise in confronting the
pervasive issue of bias in
pain management, but more
research is needed to identify
new solutions, determine
best practices, and evaluate
the feasibility of introducing
various techniques into
clinical practice. For more
information on this topic,
read the full article titled
Lurking Beneath the Surface:
Bias in Pain Management.
Keller, A. (2016, August 24). What every nurse needs to know about pain management. Daily Nurse.
Retrieved from http://dailynurse.com/what-every-nurse-needs-to-know-about-pain-management/; The Joint
Commission. (2016, April). Implicit bias in healthcare. Quick Safety. Retrieved from www.jointcommission.org/
assets/1/23/Quick_Safety_Issue_23_Apr_2016.pdf
1
The Joint Commission, Implicit bias in healthcare; Drwecki, B. B. (2015, March). Education to identify and
combat racial bias in pain treatment. AMA Journal of Ethics, 17(3), 221–228; Tropp, L. R., & Godsil, R. D.
(2015, January 23). Overcoming implicit bias and racial anxiety. Psychology Today. Retrieved from www.
psychologytoday.com/blog/sound-science-sound-policy/201501/overcoming-implicit-bias-and-racial-
anxiety; Croskerry, P., Singhal, G., & Mamede, S. (2013). Cognitive debiasing 2: Impediments to and strategies
for change. BMJ Quality & Safety, 22(Suppl 2), ii65–72; Bernhofer, E. (2011, October 25). Ethics and pain
management in hospitalized patients. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1). Retrieved from www.
nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/
TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No1-Jan-2012/Ethics-and-Pain-Management.html
2