About this episode:

Implicit bias. Prejudice. Implicit attitude. Synonyms of the same theory – essentially: an attitude or a perceptive of someone [particularly a patient] of which we are not consciously aware. The brain has a natural tendency to sift, sort and categorise information about the world around us which is an innate formation of implicit bias. It is normal. But how does it affect the way we treat patients, how they are able to access health care and the consequences that overflow into long term outcomes? In this podcast we discuss implicit bias, what it is and elements of it in pre-hospital practice. An eye opening and informative chat which highlights the potential for ongoing impacts on the patient’s health journey.

About Shaun Whitmore
Shaun is an experienced Flight Paramedic with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and health care industry. Shaun is skilled in Emergency Management, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

About Stephanie Nixon
Stephanie is an advanced care paramedic with QAS. She lives and works in a small rural town where she is an active member of the community. She has worked as a paramedic for the past 10 years after completing a Bachelor of Health Science (Paramedic) at QUT. She is now completing a Master of Paramedicine (Extended Care) at Charles Sturt University and looks forward to furthering her research pathway in the future.

About Shonel Hall (Host)
Shonel is a practicing midwife & paramedic as well as academic in paramedicine. She is passionate about out-of-hospital obstetrics and educating paramedics on birth and helping alleviate the fear surrounding these presentations. Outside of work Shonel is a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children under 10. She is an avid camper, Prosecco enthusiast and works toward reducing the effect of our footprint on the planet.

* Please note – we sincerely apologise for some sound / internet reception issues encountered in this episode.

References

Stephanie Nixon Article published in the Australian College of Paramedicine (2022) Response Magazine – Spring 2022 (page 14) - click here to view

Stephanie Nixon ACPIC 22 case study presentation (Frequent calls to the ambulance service and the ways we managed this in a small community) covers aspects of implicit bias. Click here to view

FitzGerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC medical ethics,18(1), 19. Click here to view