To examine the impact of language used during handoffs, researchers sent surveys to 748 residents and interns at two academic medical careers in 2023.
Previous research suggests 23% of handoffs include biased language, such as stereotypes, blame or doubt. Internal handoff surveys reveal specific examples: A patient with altered mental status faced stereotypes, a diabetic patient experienced blame and a patient with bunions encountered doubt.
Of the 169 respondents, those who received handoffs with blame-based bias recalled less accurate information compared to those who received neutral handoffs. This information included lab results, symptoms to observe overnight and recommended treatments.
Biased handoffs also led to lower positive attitudes toward patients. Conversely, higher positive attitudes were associated with stronger recall accuracy. Black patients were more likely than white patients to experience biased handoff language.
“Those who work in healthcare are often very well-intentioned, but they’re human beings, and they get frustrated by things, and they express different biases — both implicit and explicit,” lead author Austin Wesevich, MD, a researcher at the University of Chicago Medicine, said in a statement. “I think standardization of handoffs is the way to protect vulnerable patients by making the playing field of privilege more level.”
