Avoiding unconscious bias

Everyone has biases, some they are aware of, others they are not. This month the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has published guidance on how doctors can avoid these unconscious biases.1

Scarlett McNally, RCS council member and author of the guidance, explains that it is natural to place other people in a “category” when you first meet. “We do that by mistake, without thinking, unconsciously—and that’s fine, that’s human nature,” she says. “But the question is what we do with that.”

The RCS guidance includes advice on how avoiding unconscious bias can help doctors avoid bullying behaviour, as well as advice on preventing unconscious bias when …