EDI In Healthcare
Equity: Where everyone is treated according to their diverse needs in a way that enables all people to participate, perform, and engage to the same extent.
Health equity means ending institutional and discriminatory barriers that lead to health inequities and inequality. This includes factors within the healthcare system, such as racism and sexism, as well as factors outside the healthcare system, such as poverty and unequal distribution of resources.
See also: Health Equity vs Health Equality
Diversity is about the individual. It is about the variety of unique dimensions, qualities, and characteristics we all possess, and the mix that occurs in any group of people. Race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, economic status, physical abilities, life experiences, and other perspectives can make up individual diversity. Diversity is a fact, and inclusion is a choice
In the medical community, diversity often refers to the inclusion of healthcare professionals, trainees, educators, researchers, and patients of varied race, ethnicity, gender, disability, social class, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, primary spoken language, and geographic region. (Source)
A person should always receive good healthcare, regardless of personal characteristics, identities, or traits such as race or gender. Unfortunately, certain implicit biases exist in healthcare. These can have detrimental effects on the quality of healthcare a person receives. (Source)
See also: Bias vs. Discrimination, Types of Bias
Inclusion is creating a culture that embraces, respects, accepts, and values diversity. It is a mindful and equitable effort to meet individual needs so everyone feels valued, respected, and able to contribute to their fullest potential. Where diversity occurs naturally, creating the mix in the organization, inclusion is the choice that helps the mix work well together.
Inclusion means giving associates and patients from all backgrounds a voice in providing and receiving high-quality care. This act starts with encouraging a diverse healthcare staff to participate in the patient experience. (Source)
See Also: Health Disparities, Patient-Centered Care, Allyship in Medicine
CMCC eBooks
Public Health Ethics and Social Determinants of Health by
This progressive resource places concepts of social determinants of health in the larger contexts of contemporary health ethics and the evolution of social reform. It provides needed analysis of the larger causes behind the immediate causes of illness and epidemics, particularly injustice, systemic inequities, and the cumulative effect of compound disadvantages. This moral approach to collective and individual responsibilities--on the part of practitioners as well as the public--supports a sound blueprint for finding answers to longstanding global and local concerns. Readers are challenged to recognize the critical role of social determinants to their perception of health issues, controversies, and possibilities as the book: · Details the epidemiologic evidence regarding social determinants of health. · Key ethical implications of the evidence regarding social determinants of health. · Considers the role of risky health behaviors in determining population health outcomes. · Addresses ethical questions of priority-setting at the policy and practice levels. · Translates social determinants of health into health policy goals. Half textbook, half monograph, Public Health Ethics and the Social Determinants of Health Is geared toward students in MPH programs as well as public health professionals in diverse contexts such as local health departments and non-profit organizations. It informs public health scientists and scholars, and can also serve as an introductory text for students in public health ethics, or as part of a general applied ethics course.
ISBN: 9783319513454Publication Date: 2017-11-20
Handbook for Culturally Competent Care by
This concise, easy-to-read book tackles the potentially awkward subject of culture in a direct, non-intimidating style. It prepares all health professionals in any clinical setting to conduct thorough assessments of individual from culturally specific population groups, making it especially valuable in today's team-oriented healthcare environment. The book is suitable for healthcare workers in all fields, particularly nurses who interact with the patients 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Based on the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence, it explores 26 different cultures and the issues that healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to. For each group, the book includes an overview of heritage, communication styles, family roles and organization, workforce issues, biocultural ecology, high-risk health behaviors, nutrition, pregnancy and child bearing, death rituals, spirituality, healthcare practices, and the views of healthcare providers. It also discusses the variant characteristics of culture that determine the diversity of values, beliefs, and practices in an individual's cultural heritage in order to help prevent stereotyping. These characteristics include age, generation, nationality, race, color, gender, religion, educational status, socioeconomic status, occupation, military status, political beliefs, urban versus rural residence, enclave identity, marital status, parental status, physical characteristics, sexual orientation, gender issues, health literacy, and reasons for migration. Each chapter offers specific instructions, guidelines, tips, intervention strategies, and approaches specific to a particular cultural population.
ISBN: 9783030219451Publication Date: 2019-07-12
PEN
- Advocacy and Public AffairsFind practice questions, recommendations, evidence, tools and resources about advocacy that will be useful to new practitioners or will serve as a refresher for more experienced health professionals.
- Cultural CompetenceFind practice questions, recommendations, evidence, tools and resources about cultural competence that will be useful to new practitioners or will serve as a refresher for more experienced health professionals.
Open Access eJournals
- AHA Journals Health Equity CollectionThe collection on this site pulls together original research, scientific statements, guidelines, review articles, and commentary that address ideas related to these important topics from across the AHA portfolio of journals.
- Frontiers in Public HealthFrontiers in Public Health is a multidisciplinary open-access journal which publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research and is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians, policy makers and the public worldwide.
- Health EquityHealth Equity is the leading peer-reviewed open access journal that meets the urgent need for authoritative information about health disparities and health equity among underserved and vulnerable populations with the goal of providing optimal outcomes and ultimately health equity for all.
- International Journal for Equity in HealthInternational Journal for Equity in Health publishes research which improves the understanding of issues that influence the distribution of health and healthcare within populations.
- International Journal of Health GeographicsHealth geographics improves our understanding of the important relationships between people, location (and its characteristics: for example environmental or socio-economic), time, and health; it therefore assists us in discovering and eliminating disease, in public health tasks like disease prevention and health promotion, and also in better healthcare service planning and delivery.
- Journal of Ethnic FoodsFood studies have provided better insights into important societal processes involving economics, health, politics, history, and the environment. The journal emphasises research that explores food, gastronomy and eating behaviours that are related to particular geographical contexts and ethnicities.
- Journal of Health, Population and NutritionJournal of Health, Population and Nutrition brings together research on all aspects of issues related to population, nutrition, and health.
- The Journal of Health Disparities ResearchThe Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice is a refereed online journal that explores the dimensions of health disparities globally.
- Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health DisparitiesEfforts to explore underlying causes of health disparities and to describe interventions that have been undertaken to address racial and ethnic health disparities are featured.
- The Lancet Public HealthBuilding on the foundation of The Lancet as a champion of public health research, this monthly journal is committed to publishing high-quality original research Articles, review, editorials, comments, and correspondence that contribute to advancing health equity, public health practice and policy making worldwide.
- The Lancet Regional Health- AmericasThe Lancet Regional Health – Americas is a new open access journal, part of The Lancet's global initiative to advocate for health-care quality and access in all regions of the world. The journal fosters the advance of clinical practice and health policy in the Americas, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes.
Podcasts
Would a basic income reduce pressure on Canadian health care systems? If so, what would it cost? How can policy drive sustainable and affordable housing? Who is already making these changes in practice? How can we push racism out of medical care?
This podcast invites a range of weekly guests to talk about all different kinds of stigma. Why does it matter? What does it look like? What can we do about it?
In recent years—and especially during the Covid pandemic—lots of people have touted the benefits of Canada’s universal health care system. But how universal is it?
This podcast highlights disparities evidenced in common chronic conditions featured in the "vicious cycle" (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, mental health) and musculoskeletal/arthritis conditions, with emphasis on disparities and how social determinants of health impact these conditions and their management.
The term was first coined in 1998 by healthcare professionals Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-García, who originally described cultural humility as a tool to educate physicians to work with culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse populations in the United States. The concept, however, carries meaning for any clinical researcher or social advocate who is studying and/or working with someone different from themselves – in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or geographic location – in any cultural context and in any part of the world. Here are three things to know about cultural humility.
Many factors including income, food security, or housing can have a huge contribution to our health. These are known as the social determinants of health (SDoH). In this episode, we discuss some common SDoH, how they impact our health, and what some leading physicians are doing to tackle the issue.
Brought to you by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, offers in-depth conversations about Canada’s health systems featuring people and data you can trust. We speak to the people behind the health policy and data, as well as to those working hard on the front lines, and discuss the work being done to keep Canadians healthy.
Health Equity and Equality in Canada
- Understanding the report on Key Health Inequalities in CanadaCanadians are among the healthiest people in the world. However, as this report shows, the benefits of good health are not equally enjoyed by all. Many of these inequalities are the result of social, political, and economic disadvantages, which affect our chances of achieving and maintaining good health. This report describes the degree and distribution of key health inequalities in Canada, a critical step in taking action to advance health equity.
- What are social determinants of health?Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. SDOH can be grouped into 5 domains.
- Social determinants of health and health inequalitiesHealth inequalities in Canada and Supporting the reduction of health inequalities.
- Non-clinical influences on clinical decision-making: a major challenge to evidence-based practiceThis article reviews an aspect of daily clinical practice which is of critical importance in virtually every clinical consultation, but which is seldom formally considered. Non-clinical influences on clinical decision-making profoundly affect medical decisions. These influences include patient-related factors such as socioeconomic status, quality of life and patient's expectations and wishes, physician-related factors such as personal characteristics and interaction with their professional community, and features of clinical practice such as private versus public practice as well as local management policies.
Intersectionality in Healthcare
- Can Intersectionality Help Lead to More Accurate Diagnosis?With their intersectional conceptual framework, Wilson and colleagues create a constructive platform through which physicians and other healthcare providers can discuss the multidisciplinary nature of patient care. Their framework emphasizes how physicians should recognize the ways in which their patients’ identities may impact their medical care, focusing on the patients’ attitudes towards their providers and the efficacy of their treatment plans.
Cultural Competence and Healthcare
- Reflections on Cultural HumilityGiven the complexity of multiculturalism, it is beneficial to understand cultural competency as a process rather than an end product.
- Trauma-Informed CareTrauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation.
- Whole Person Health: What You Need To KnowWhole person health involves looking at the whole person—not just separate organs or body systems—and considering multiple factors that promote either health or disease. It means helping and empowering individuals, families, communities, and populations to improve their health in multiple interconnected biological, behavioral, social, and environmental areas. Instead of treating a specific disease, whole person health focuses on restoring health, promoting resilience, and preventing diseases across a lifespan.
Tools and Toolkits
- Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and ConceptsDesigned for physicians and other health care professionals, the Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts provides guidance and promotes a deeper understanding of equity-focused, person-first language and why it matters.
- Inclusive Language Glossary for the Learning and Practice EnvironmentsLanguage is both complex and dynamic, and conceptual approaches to language are nuanced. With increasing awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion across all facets
of medical education, supporting language practices that are inclusive and reflect the diversity of our communities is an important aspect of individual and institutional efforts. - Resources on Cultural CompetencyAccess resources and online training on cultural competency from SAMHSA and other agencies and organizations.
- Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive CommunicationCDC’s Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication emphasize the importance of addressing all people inclusively and respectfully. These principles are intended to help public health professionals, particularly health communicators, within and outside of CDC ensure their communication products and strategies adapt to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.
- Health Inequalities Interactive ToolExplore health inequalities by year and changes over time at national and provincial levels.
- Measuring Health Inequalities: A ToolkitThis toolkit was developed to assist analysts and researchers with measuring and reporting on health inequalities, with a focus on stratifying health indicators.
