Protocol paper for CONNECT: An observational two-site study to examine potential implicit bias in oncologist-patient communication (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Compared to White patients, minoritized patients (characterized as Black and Hispanic) have a higher incidence of advanced solid cancers and also have higher mortality.1,2 These patients also report poor patient-centered communication and worse pain assessment and management. Although many factors contribute to these disparities, physician implicit bias might be a contributor.3 The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the role of implicit bias among oncologists and examine the impact racial/ethnic differences in objective assessments of communication with minorities with advanced cancer. To accomplish this, we are recruiting 65 oncologists and 325 patients (5 patients per oncologist) with advanced solid cancer from ambulatory cancer clinics within the diverse settings of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and the Duke University Health System in Durham, NC. We will audio record patient-oncologist encounters during a post-imaging visit over three encounters. In this paper, we outline methods, describe the development of the codebook used to assess primary and secondary outcomes, and discuss challenges and lessons learned throughout the study.