How Missing Information in Diagnosis Can Lead to Disparities in the Clinical Encounter

Previous studies have documented diagnostic bias and noted that its reduction could eliminate misdiagnosis and improve mental health service delivery. Few studies have investigated clinicians' methods of obtaining and using information during the initial clinical encounter. We describe a study examining contributions to clinician bias during diagnostic assessment of ethnic/racial minority patients. A total of 129 mental health intakes were videotaped, involving 47 mental health clinicians from 8 primarily safety-net clinics. Videos were coded by another clinician using an information checklist, blind to the diagnoses provided by the original clinician. We found high levels of concordance between clinicians for substance-related disorders, low levels for depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders except panic. Most clinicians rely on patients' mention of depression, anxiety, or substance use to identify disorders, without assessing specific criteria. With limited diagnostic information, clinicians can optimize the clinical intake time to establish rapport with patients. We found Latino ethnicity to be a modifying factor of the association between symptom reports and likelihood of a depression diagnosis. Differential discussion of symptom areas, depending on patient ethnicity, may lead to differential diagnosis and increased likelihood of diagnostic bias.