Implicit Bias Training for Healthcare Equity

(VIBRANT Trial)

Overseen By Freda Liu, PhD

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Washington

Disqualifiers: Developmental disability, Non-English/Spanish speakers, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

400 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

Healthcare providers' implicit bias has been identified as a contributor to longstanding health inequities via negative impacts on the patient-clinician relationship and biased delivery of high-quality evidence-based practices (EBP). The implementation of any EBP runs the risk of worsening existing health disparities due to inequitable access, delivery, or benefit of the intervention. Clinician bias can be a critical and unaddressed determinant of implementation for any EBP. Although some implicit bias interventions for healthcare providers are emerging, studies have rarely included mental health professionals. In a previously NIMH funded project, our research team iteratively developed a brief (\~45 minutes), interactive online Virtual Implicit Bias Reduction and Neutralization Training (VIBRANT) for school mental health clinicians with promising preliminary findings. The current study will test the effectiveness of VIBRANT-an implementation strategy for promoting equitable adoption, penetration, fidelity, and sustainment of EBPs. One highly learnable, efficient, and scalable EBP that is particularly well-suited for the education sector is Measurement-Base Care (MBC)-the systematic collection of patient-reported progress data to inform clinical decision-making. The proposed study aims to (1) evaluate VIBRANT's feasibility to promote equitable adoption, penetration, fidelity, and sustainment of MBC, with a validated, brief, interactive online training for MBC; (2) examine VIBRANT's impact on proximal mechanisms of change including clinicians' implicit bias as well as distal youth mental health outcomes (i.e., symptoms and functioning) with Black and Latinx youth, and (3) assess feasibility of research procedures for a future large-scale efficacy trial.

Research Team

Freda Liu, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Washington

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for school mental health clinicians who work with a significant number of Black or Latinx students and have not been exposed to the training being tested. It's also for Black or Latinx youths entering ongoing treatment, and their primary caregivers must be able to report on their well-being.

Inclusion Criteria

Participating youths must be entering into ongoing treatment with a participating clinician in the school mental health setting

Participating clinicians must provide school-based mental health services in middle and high school settings for at least 50% of their clinical deployment

I provide continuous one-on-one mental health services to students.

Exclusion Criteria

Clinicians who previously participated in a measurement-based care (MBC) related study with the team and have already been exposed to the online MBC training

Clinicians who have participated in a previous study related to VIBRANT

I am a young person who does not speak English or Spanish.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Training

Clinicians complete the Virtual Implicit Bias Reduction and Neutralization Training (VIBRANT) module and the Brief Online Training (BOLT) for Measurement-Based Care (MBC)

1 month

Online training modules and live consultation sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in implicit bias and MBC strategy adoption, penetration, fidelity, and sustainment

4 months

Weekly caseload service logs and periodic assessments

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Virtual Implicit Bias Reduction and Neutralization Training (VIBRANT)

Trial Overview The study tests VIBRANT, an online training designed to reduce healthcare providers' implicit bias and improve equitable delivery of care. It aims to see if this can help clinicians adopt and maintain high-quality practices like Measurement-Based Care in schools.

Participant Groups

Group I: MBC + VIBRANT Experimental Treatment 4 Interventions

Experimental condition clinicians will complete the same online training modules for MBC (BOLT) as the control group, but also complete the Virtual Implicit Bias Reduction and Neutralization Training (VIBRANT) module (45 minutes). They will also receive two 1-hour long, live post-training consultation sessions and expert-facilitated asynchronous online discussion board.

Group II: MBC Controls Active Control 3 Interventions

Control group clinicians will complete the Brief Online Training (BOLT) for Measurement-Based Care (MBC) and consultation packages (4 online training modules supported by two 1-hour long, live post-training consultation sessions and expert-facilitated asynchronous online discussion board).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Washington

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,858

Recruited

2,023,000+

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Collaborator

Trials

3,007

Recruited

2,852,000+