Connections: February 2023 - 8

BUILDING
A CULTURE
OF EQUITY
Ways to dismantle
implicit bias
Implicit bias: a belief or stereotype that affects a person's understanding,
behaviors and decisions in an unconscious or unintended manner.
It's a term we're becoming familiar with.
Though the phenomenon of implicit bias has
been known for many years, it only recently
came into public view. " Over time, the silent
minority gradually became more empowered
to speak up, " says Jennifer Orbeso, DPN, RN,
a nursing diversity and inclusion specialist at
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
What that " silent minority " is speaking up
about is how they're being treated because of
implicit bias, no matter that it's unconscious or
unintended. It can be present in any setting, but
Orbeso's focus is on implicit bias in maternal
healthcare.
In addition to her role on the DEIB team,
Orbeso has been a clinical nurse in the intensive
care nursery (ICN) at Children's Hospital at
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for
the past 6 years. In all, she has worked in the
neonatal and childcare field for more than 20
years. During that time, the fact of implicit bias
has become clear to her.
" Sadly, it manifests in maternity care when
unequal care for patients of color occurs, "
Orbeso says. She cites a study that shows that
1 of every 6 women of color experiences at
least two types of mistreatment in maternal
and infant healthcare, such as loss of autonomy,
being shouted at, threatened, ignored or
receiving no response to a request for help.
" Implicit bias impacts the whole birthing
journey, " Orbeso says. " This is hurtful.
Dismantling implicit bias in maternal and infant
care is imperative if we are to achieve just and
humane care. "
How many people have implicit biases? " All of
us, " says Orbeso. " Implicit bias is embedded in
our faculties as human beings. We need to own
that so that we can do something about it. "
To do something about it, Orbeso organized
implicit bias training in partnership with March
of Dimes. In November, 28 Dartmouth Health
clinicians across neonatology, pediatrics and
obstetrics took part in a virtual training session
that included four key lessons: an overview
of implicit bias and personal assessment, an
historical overview of structural racism in the
United States, strategies to mitigate racial bias in
maternity care, and building a culture of equity
within an organization.
" As part of the training, " Orbeso says, " March
of Dimes was able to give us critical feedback
on where we are excelling in dismantling implicit
bias in maternal care, and where there is room
for improvement. For example, in the Upper
Valley, where the population is overwhelmingly
white, our scores are overall very positive,
but the results were more mixed in southern
New Hampshire, which has a more diverse
population. Our patient population is changing,
and we need to train our staff to deal with this. "
Orbeso's hope is that the implicit bias training
will soon be available to all Dartmouth Health
clinicians. " It doesn't matter what specialty
you're in, there is implicit bias, " she says. " It's
challenging to recognize and acknowledge
our own unconscious biases. We only become
aware of them through self-work, attending
trainings and by constantly engaging in
conversation that promotes awareness. "
Jennifer Orbeso, DPN, RN
Children's Hospital at
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
High Performing
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical
Center has been named as a 202223
" High Performing Hospital for
Maternity Care " by U.S. News &
World Report. It's the
highest ranking a
hospital can earn
for the magazine's
" Best Hospitals for
Maternity Care. "
The annual evaluation
is designed to assist expectant
parents and their doctors in
making informed decisions about
where to receive maternity care.
" It highlights the expertise and
ongoing commitment of our teams
to providing the highest-quality
maternity care to the patients of
our region, " says Susan Reeves,
EdD, RN, executive vice president at
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 650
hospitals that provide high-quality
labor and delivery service for
uncomplicated pregnancies for the
2022-2023 High Performing Hospital
designation. Fewer than half of all
hospitals that participated in the
survey received the designation.
Last summer, DHMC was again
named by U.S. News as New
Hampshire's best hospital, recognized
as " high performing " in 12 common
adult procedures and conditions.
https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/nh/maternity https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/nh/maternity
Connections: February 2023

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