# Addressing Individual Provider Bias and Group Decision-Making in Selection of Advanced Heart Failure Therapies in Racial/Ethnic Minorities

> **NIH NIH K01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $157,763

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Bias is present in multiple facets of life and influences decision-making particularly among racial/ethnic
minorities. Bias also likely plays a strong role in the process of selecting candidates for advanced heart failure
therapies, including heart transplants and left ventricular assist devices, because of the subjective nature of the
process. Implicit bias has been well studied in medicine but has not been found to be universally instrumental
in changing outcomes, and healthcare group decision-making has not been well studied. Therefore, the
application of mixed-methods to study individual healthcare provider bias and group decision-making is
innovative. For the first time, the think aloud protocol, a method of elucidating decision-making thoughts for
thematic qualitative analysis, and a visual analog scale survey will be used to assess individual provider bias,
and the de Groot Critically Reflective Diagnosis protocol, a methodical quantification of reflective group
decision-making, will be used to assess the group decision-making process for selection of candidates for
advanced therapy for heart failure. We will identify the single most important subjective factor that contributes
to racial/ethnic bias and lower reflective scores. An objective measurement of this factor will be used in a
standardized protocol for evaluating patients for advanced therapies. Naturalistic evaluation of implementation
of this protocol will lead to protocol tailoring that will provide groundwork for a pragmatic R01 trial. The findings
of this study will also have implications for other populations that use multidisciplinary healthcare providers for
decision-making such as selection of patients for transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transplantation of
other organs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10578988
- **Project number:** 7K01HL142848-05
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Khadijah Breathett
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $157,763
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10578988

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10578988, Addressing Individual Provider Bias and Group Decision-Making in Selection of Advanced Heart Failure Therapies in Racial/Ethnic Minorities (7K01HL142848-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10578988. Licensed CC0.

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