Brendan Saloner

Racial disparities in opioid overdose have increased in recent years. Several studies have linked these disparities to health care providers’ inequitable delivery of OUD services. In response, health care policymakers and systems have designed new programs to improve equitable OUD care delivery. Racial bias training has been one commonly utilized program. Racial bias training educates providers about the existence of racial disparities in the treatment of people who use drugs and the role of implicit bias. Our study evaluates a pilot racial bias training delivered to 25 hospital emergency providers treating patients with opioid use disorders in two hospitals in Detroit, Michigan. We conducted a three-part survey, including a baseline assessment, post-training assessment, and a 2-month follow-up to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of scaling the racial bias training to larger audiences. We also investigate preliminary data on changes in self-awareness of implicit bias, knowledge of training content, and equity in care delivery to OUD patients. Using qualitative survey response data, we find training participants were satisfied with the content and quality of the training and especially valued the small group discussions, motivational interviewing, and historical context.