Implicit racial bias among medical graduates and students by an IAT measure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Racial implicit bias is an unconscious response and behavior that affects interpersonal interactions and clinical decision-making.

AIMS: We attempted to meta-analyze the scores of implicit association test (IAT) to estimate pooled quantity of implicit racial bias among medical graduates and students

METHODS: As far as we know, our study is the first systematic-based meta-analysis estimating the pooled score of implicit racial bias among physicians and medical students. Keywords were searched in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Wiley online library, and ProQuest databases from 2011 since 2021. The IAT's pooled score estimates through a fixed-effect meta-analysis using STATA 15. Also, I2 statistic was used to determine heterogeneity across the articles.

RESULTS: Out of 1177 articles, 29 studies entered to analysis. The pooled score of IAT among physicians and medical students was 0.28 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.43) and 0.35 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.67), respectively. The racial bias score of physician ranged from -0.12 to 0.62. While score of implicit association test for medical student ranged from -0.01 to 1.29.

CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis revealed that there was an implicit anti-black attitude among physicians and medical students, but the size of this implicit racial bias was small. Although the level of racial bias in physicians and medical students was low, it could be reduced to the lowest level through informative programs and training in ways to control implicit attitudes.