Name: The bias behind your undiagnosed chronic pain
Uploaded: 2022-08-31T15:17:01Z
Duration: 12 min 50 s
Description: While doctors take an oath to do no harm, there's a good chance their unconscious biases can seep into how seriously they take your pain. Physician Sheetal DeCaria explains how perception impacts medical care and treatment -- and calls for health care professionals to check in with how they do their patient checkups.

Sheetal DeCaria: The bias behind your undiagnosed chronic pain

The bias behind your undiagnosed chronic pain

While doctors take an oath to do no harm, there's a good chance their unconscious biases can seep into how seriously they take your pain. Physician Sheetal DeCaria explains how perception impacts medical care and treatment -- and calls for health care professionals to check in with how they do their patient checkups.

Unconscious bias can shape how seriously doctors treat pain, sometimes leading to misdiagnoses and needless suffering. Even female physicians have found their pain dismissed, as in the case of a Black doctor whose complaints were minimized despite her expertise. Studies reveal that 91 percent of women with chronic pain feel discriminated against by the health care system, with nearly half told their pain is imaginary. Confronting these hidden biases is essential to ensure compassion and proper care reach every patient.