99 Assessing implicit ethnic biases and feedback preferences among trainee GPs

Abstract OP 26: Exclusion and Discrimination 4, B207 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 16:00 - 17:00 Background Healthcare providers’ decisions are known to be biased, sometimes resulting in unfavorable treatment for patients with a migration background (PMB). Implicit and explicit biases have been identified as contributing factors to the ethnic disparities in healthcare. However, the origins and implications of these biases remain poorly understood. This study aims to measure the magnitude and determinants of implicit and explicit biases toward PMB and to assess whether medical trainees are willing to receive personalized feedback on their bias results. Methods Between 2021 and 2025, four cohorts of general practice trainees from a Belgian university were invited to complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Hudelson scale assessing explicit bias toward PMB. The IAT contrasted patients with either a Belgian name or a North-African name, and alternatively, a Belgian face or a North-African face. At the end of the survey, participants were asked whether they wished to receive their individual results and were queried about their political orientation. Findings Over the study period, 680 trainees participated. The majority (68%) exhibited moderate to high levels of implicit bias unfavorable to North-African patients (based on names or faces), with little variation over time. On average, across waves, only 60% of respondents requested their individual feedback report. Willingness to receive feedback was not associated with implicit bias levels (D-score) but?was less frequent among trainees who endorsed the view that adaptation responsibility lies primarily with ethnic minority patients. Conclusion Biases against PMB persist among future primary care providers. Willingness to engage with personal bias feedback is shaped more by?explicit attitudes toward patient adaptation than by implicit bias?levels. These findings highlight the need for tailored interventions?to promote awareness and reduce bias in primary care education.