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The National Institutes of Health awarded Anastasia Makhanova, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Alaska, just under $3.4 million. Makanova will study how stress, illness, and concerns about personal health can lead health care workers to develop biases against patients, including racial discrimination and racism. is. ethnic minority groups.
“When we think about bias, most people tend to focus on individual differences. There is much less focus on the fact that the same people may make more biased decisions in certain situations,” Mahanova said. said.
Research shows that, on average, patients from racial or ethnic minorities receive poorer care than white patients. By identifying the situations that cause health care providers to act with increased bias, Mahanova's research can indicate when health care workers are most effective at using existing anti-stigma strategies. . The results could also lead to systemic changes that reduce burnout and encourage healthcare workers not to work when sick.
Mahanova plans to work with five other universities and hospitals, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, to track how health care providers treat patients with abdominal pain who have no standardized treatment plan. be. Previous studies have found inequalities in abdominal pain treatment. For example, black and Latino patients receive less pain treatment than white patients, even when they report the same level of abdominal discomfort. Makhanova and her team will then investigate whether stress, illness, or fear of illness influenced treatment by health care workers.
Makhanova's preliminary research shows that inflammation can also increase prejudice. In fact, those who are most aware of their own biases and try to limit them may be more susceptible to them when they are ill.
“When people are going through these inflammatory processes, they have less energy to think, so motivation and self-regulation are both reduced, but they have less energy to act in a deliberate, deliberate, and mindful manner. We need both,” Mahanova said.
In this study, health care workers are given a psychological test to measure their stigma before receiving a flu shot. He will be tested again in 24 hours, when the vaccine causes an increase in cytokines, proteins that increase inflammation in the body.
“I think we are bringing something new that has the potential to further develop existing interventions,” Mahanova said of the study.
The five-year grant will be administered by the NIH's National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Anna Julia Bridges from the University's Department of Psychology and Michelle Gray from the Exercise Science Program are co-investigators on the project. This grant also includes funding for University A graduate students.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas is the state's flagship institution, offering an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the University of A contributes to the economy of Arkansas through the education of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and employment development, and discovery through research and creative activities, while providing training in specialized fields. Contributing more than $1 billion. The Carnegie Foundation classifies U of A as one of the few universities in the United States with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks U of A among the nation's top public universities. Find out how the U of A is working to build a better world with Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.
