Implicit Bias: What Every Pediatrician Should Know About the Effect of Bias on Health and Future Directions.

Implicit bias has entered modern discourse as a result of our current sociopolitical climate. It is an area that has been largely explored in the social sciences, and was highlighted in the landmark 2003 IOM report, Unequal Treatment, as a contributor to racial/ethnic health disparities. Implicit bias is the process of unconscious societal attitudes affecting our individual understanding, actions and decisions, thus leading to assumptions about groups.

The Rules of Engagement: Perspectives on Secure Messaging From Experienced Ambulatory Patient Portal Users.

Background: Patient portals have shown promise in engaging individuals in self-management of chronic conditions by allowing patients to input and track health information and exchange secure electronic messages with their providers. Past studies have identified patient barriers to portal use including usability issues, low health literacy, and concerns about loss of personal contact as well as provider concerns such as increased time spent responding to messages. However, to date, studies of both patient and provider perspectives on portal use have focused on the pre-implementation or initial implementation phases and do not consider how these issues may change as patients and providers gain greater experience with portals.