Perspectives on Diabetes Care

This past December, ADCES held a thought leader summit addressing the issue of unconscious bias. 45 organizations from across the diabetes care space came together to learn more about the impacts of unconscious bias and identify where this could be causing potential gaps in care. The summit explored the root causes of unconscious bias and the role each person in the health care space plays in reducing it, and resulted in a commitment to partner on future efforts that will advance these initial conversations.  

Current ADCES President Veronica Brady, PhD, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, CDCES, FADCES, dove deeper into her perspectives on unconscious bias on an episode of ADCES’ podcast, The Huddle: Conversations with the Diabetes Care Team. Here’s a glimpse of what was covered in the episode. 

What Is Unconscious Bias? 

Unconscious biases are assumptions you hold subconsciously that you may bring into your work without even realizing it. For example, assuming that a person of an older age may not be as successful using diabetes technology as someone younger, even if we don’t have direct evidence of this. 

Unconscious bias can influence clinical decisions and negatively impact care. By bringing awareness to our personal biases combined with practicing what Dr. Brady has coined as “cultural humility”, DCESs and other health care professionals can avoid bringing biases into care. 

Cultural Humility: Listening with Openness 

Dr. Brady explained in her podcast episode that cultural humility can be seen as the next step beyond cultural competence. Cultural humility involves approaching people with an open mind, humbly listening to their experiences, and learning from them. Instead of relying on speculation or stereotypes, cultural humility requires us as diabetes health care professionals to ask specific questions and really listen to the answers, rather than filling in blanks based on our own assumptions. Something as simple as asking an open-ended question like “What can I do for you today?” can make a huge difference in fostering better communication and understanding a person’s unique needs.  

The unconscious bias summit identified a shared need and desire for continued training and dialogue in this area and emphasized a shared passion to make care more equitable for all people with and at risk for diabetes. We’re committed to continuing the conversation and the work. 

Tune in to Dr. Brady's full episode of The Huddle for more of her insights on tackling unconscious bias in diabetes care.