Diagnostic overshadowing among groups experiencing health disparities.
Sentinel Event Alert. June 22, 2022;(65):1-7.
A clinician's knowledge of an existing condition can implicitly affect treatment recommendations and decisions. This alert highlights the presence of diagnostic overshadowing as a type of bias that is prone to affect disadvantaged or stigmatized patient populations. Listening training programs, improved use of patient data review, and assessment techniques are recommended to trigger diagnostic curiosity to encourage complete decision-making methods when serving patients.