School of Nursing Associate Professors Sarah Llewellyn and Kelley Connor, along with undergraduate research assistants John Henry Dye and Margaret Quatraro, co-authored an article on weight bias as studied through simulation.
For nursing students Dye and Quatraro, this is their first research publication.
“Working on this project has broadened my understanding of professional nursing and given me a solid start-to-finish research experience,” said Quatraro.
Research shows that many healthcare providers (from doctors to nurses to students) have weight-based biases that can negatively affect patient care. As a result, patients tend to avoid treatment and mistrust their providers.
The research team created a simulation to help students consider their biases and better understand their patients’ perspectives. The accompanying study included several data-driven surveys as well as a reflective questionnaire.
Their article indicates that with practice, future providers can increase the quality of their patient-centered care by promoting respect and being flexible in their own thinking. Ultimately, this can increase positive patient outcomes.