[NYAPRS Enews] Words Matter: Strategies to Reduce Bias in Electronic Health Records!

Tue Oct 25 14:53:05 EDT 2022

[cid:image001.png at 01D8E876.FD23B3B0]

October 25, 2022

Greetings Everyone,

A few months ago, OMH's Office of Diversity and Inclusion shared an article from Health Affairs titled, "Negative Patient Descriptors: Documenting Racial Bias In The Electronic Health Record". The authors analyzed a sample of 40,113 history and physical notes from 18,459 patients for sentences containing a negative descriptor (for example, resistant or noncompliant), of the patient or the patient's behavior. Used mixed effects logistic regression to determine the odds of finding at least one negative descriptor as a function of the patient's race or ethnicity while controlling for sociodemographic and health characteristics, they found that when compared with White patients, Black patients had 2.54 times the odds of having at least one negative descriptor in the history and physical notes. This article raised concerns about stigmatizing language in the EHR and its potential to exacerbate racial and ethnic healthcare disparities.

We would now like to share a recently released tool from the Center for Health Care Strategies, created with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (attached). This tool outlines considerations for providers on how to write EHR notes that promote patient-centered care and dignity by:

(1) trusting patients and avoiding communicating disbelief

(2) being mindful when using quotes

(3) focusing on positive themes and humanizing details

(4) learning to recognize and avoid stigmatizing language

(5) educating providers and providers-in-training.

Matthew Canuteson
Pronouns: He, Him, His
Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
New York State Office of Mental Health
44 Holland Ave 2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12229
518-473-4548
matthew.canuteson at omh.ny.gov<mailto:matthew.canuteson at omh.ny.gov>
www.omh.ny.gov<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttp-253A-252F-252Fwww.omh.ny.gov-252F-26data-3D05-257C01-257CNYSOMHDIVERSITYANDINCLUSION-2540LISTSERV.OMH.NY.GOV-257C90e60b7b3f6b4b6bcc2208dab6b11c10-257Cf46cb8ea79004d108ceb80e8c1c81ee7-257C0-257C0-257C638023169370331074-257CUnknown-257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0-253D-257C3000-257C-257C-257C-26sdata-3DmZwInbgRl6aidyBzSzw-252BqXIuzia1-252F8bhVu2b0Tll4es-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=RZKMmiODsL8lW1CvoyvccXL03-Qr4iqDejsjr8b_Vqs&m=Na2p2KQzJiqKW01RSX73XV9djn6rGcUGyX788LyRg3I&s=-cUMHIhB5KkRsq-BRH6QrRAGhXfUbmjDOjpc42GP6Ag&e=>

Are you in crisis, experiencing emotional distress, or worried about someone you know? Call or text 988 or chat at
988lifeline.org<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252F988lifeline.org-252F-26data-3D05-257C01-257CNYSOMHDIVERSITYANDINCLUSION-2540LISTSERV.OMH.NY.GOV-257C90e60b7b3f6b4b6bcc2208dab6b11c10-257Cf46cb8ea79004d108ceb80e8c1c81ee7-257C0-257C0-257C638023169370331074-257CUnknown-257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0-253D-257C3000-257C-257C-257C-26sdata-3DZ0NeHY9HuprSNz1SClZSFKU36lurHjf0O5cRmZl0wKk-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=RZKMmiODsL8lW1CvoyvccXL03-Qr4iqDejsjr8b_Vqs&m=Na2p2KQzJiqKW01RSX73XV9djn6rGcUGyX788LyRg3I&s=EBgGLH-ek7CJK1uCJ3b-LdCNL3PV1ivrarOjlqHGjIw&e=>
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
This e-mail is meant only for the use of the intended recipient. It may contain confidential information which is legally privileged or otherwise protected by law. If you received this e-mail in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it to you, you are strictly prohibited from reviewing, using, disseminating, distributing or copying the e-mail. PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY OF THE ERROR BY RETURN E-MAIL AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEM. Thank you for your cooperation.

To unsubscribe from the list: NYSOMHDIVERSITYANDINCLUSION-signoff-request at LISTSERV.OMH.NY.GOV<mailto:NYSOMHDIVERSITYANDINCLUSION-signoff-request at LISTSERV.OMH.NY.GOV> Send the email without a subject.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 348405 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://kilakwa.net/pipermail/nyaprs_kilakwa.net/attachments/20221025/4518b1cb/attachment.bin>