From Assumptions to Outcomes: How Unconscious Bias Shapes Obstetric Care

A systematic review with narrative synthesis of 89 studies, this paper maps how unconscious bias shapes obstetric provider–patient communication, shared decision making, and clinical discretion — disproportionately for Black, Indigenous, migrant, low-income, and disabled patients. The authors argue that, at its most severe, bias-driven coercion, non-consented procedures, and normalized mistreatment in obstetrics constitute a form of gender-based violence embedded in routine care.