Physicians, despite their commitment to equitable care, may unintentionally contribute to health care disparities due to implicit bias. Implicit bias refers to unconscious associations that influence decision-making, often conflicting with conscious beliefs. Research shows that implicit bias affects how physicians treat patients based on race, gender, and other characteristics. This bias is not always conscious and can lead to disparities in treatment, such as providing less pain relief to Black patients or less knee arthroplasty to women. Implicit bias develops early in life through repeated exposure to social stereotypes and can persist into adulthood. Studies using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) have shown that many physicians, including those in various specialties, exhibit implicit pro-White bias. This bias can affect clinical decisions, such as pain management and treatment recommendations for patients with similar conditions. Physicians may be influenced by implicit bias in several ways. For example, they may rate Black patients as less capable than White patients with the same performance, or they may be less likely to recommend certain treatments for Black patients. Similarly, implicit gender bias may lead to less knee arthroplasty for women and different diagnoses for men and women with similar symptoms. To reduce the impact of implicit bias, strategies such as perspective-taking and individuation are recommended. Perspective-taking involves imagining the patient's viewpoint, which can reduce bias in treatment decisions. Individuation involves focusing on individual patient information rather than social group characteristics. Additionally, increasing the number of African American/Black physicians may help reduce the impact of implicit bias, as they tend to exhibit less implicit race bias. In conclusion, implicit bias among physicians can contribute to health care disparities. Recognizing this bias and implementing strategies to reduce it, such as perspective-taking and individuation, can help create a more equitable healthcare system. Increasing the number of physicians from underrepresented groups may also help mitigate the effects of implicit bias.Physicians, despite their commitment to equitable care, may unintentionally contribute to health care disparities due to implicit bias. Implicit bias refers to unconscious associations that influence decision-making, often conflicting with conscious beliefs. Research shows that implicit bias affects how physicians treat patients based on race, gender, and other characteristics. This bias is not always conscious and can lead to disparities in treatment, such as providing less pain relief to Black patients or less knee arthroplasty to women. Implicit bias develops early in life through repeated exposure to social stereotypes and can persist into adulthood. Studies using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) have shown that many physicians, including those in various specialties, exhibit implicit pro-White bias. This bias can affect clinical decisions, such as pain management and treatment recommendations for patients with similar conditions. Physicians may be influenced by implicit bias in several ways. For example, they may rate Black patients as less capable than White patients with the same performance, or they may be less likely to recommend certain treatments for Black patients. Similarly, implicit gender bias may lead to less knee arthroplasty for women and different diagnoses for men and women with similar symptoms. To reduce the impact of implicit bias, strategies such as perspective-taking and individuation are recommended. Perspective-taking involves imagining the patient's viewpoint, which can reduce bias in treatment decisions. Individuation involves focusing on individual patient information rather than social group characteristics. Additionally, increasing the number of African American/Black physicians may help reduce the impact of implicit bias, as they tend to exhibit less implicit race bias. In conclusion, implicit bias among physicians can contribute to health care disparities. Recognizing this bias and implementing strategies to reduce it, such as perspective-taking and individuation, can help create a more equitable healthcare system. Increasing the number of physicians from underrepresented groups may also help mitigate the effects of implicit bias.