Recognizing implicit biases in kidney care

Implicit biases can lead to racial disparities in healthcare, including how patients are treated and diagnosed. In kidney disease specifically, racial disparity is evident in the unequal disease burden experienced by Black Americans.

Understanding the need to address unequal treatment and structural racism at multiple points of care, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) engaged Speaking of Science to develop a professional-facing article that addresses the impact of implicit bias in kidney care and outlines strategies to address these biases.

The challenge

Speaking of Science conducted background research, an informal literature review, and stakeholder interviews, ensuring this resource captured the lived experience of both healthcare providers and patients.

Using plain language best practices and accessible design, we created a convenient, informative one-pager designed to encourage HCPs to become aware of and take action to eliminate biases.

Our approach

How we helped

Stakeholder interviews
Copywriting
Plain language writing
Visual design
Print layout

Impact

With this educational and action-oriented resource, kidney care professionals are better equipped to support patients — leading patients to feel validated to share more about their experience, and making it possible for healthcare teams to more effectively address issues

Drawing on learnings from a literature review and stakeholder interviews, we created a two-page informational article defining implicit bias and highlighting opportunities for HCPs to address personal biases and learn more.

We used straightforward, familiar language and clear headers to help readers navigate to the information they need, and incorporated bulleted lists and quotes to facilitate an easier reading experience.

Research- and experience-based educational content

We laid the article out so that it would be legible to both print and digital audiences, using columns to organize each page.

We used shaded pull quotes and colorful, stylized notes to call out sidebar facts and examples and create space within the text.

Distinct font treatments identify headers and subheads, allowing readers to navigate the article to find the information they need with ease.