Equity in health care improves people's health

Promoting equity in health care improves people's health. This can be inexpensive and have a big impact. Based on more than 15 years of research, we provide concrete examples of what can be done by people working in the health sector – and their impact on patients.

Our interdisciplinary team of EQUIP Health Care researchers from Canadian universities has studied strategies to improve care. We are among the first to show that providing more equity-focused health care predicts improvements in important outcomes for patients' health over time.

This benefit occurs despite the negative toll of poverty, racism and other forms of discrimination on people's health.

Equity affects mental health

Around the world, health care is hindered by poverty, discrimination and the lingering legacy of trauma and violence. This leads to inequities in health, defined by the World Health Organization as preventable and unjust differences in health.

Our data shows that when care is more focused on equity, patients feel more comfortable and confident about the care they receive, which increases their confidence in their own care. ability to prevent and manage health problems. They also report fewer symptoms of depression and trauma, less chronic pain, and an improved quality of life.

Focus on Harm Reduction

Equity-focused health care means paying particular attention to those most at risk of poor health, which usually means the people most affected by the negative impacts of social conditions such as family violence. poverty, lack of affordable housing, stigma, racism and other forms of discrimination. .

This involves care based on trauma and violence. That is, understanding and trying to limit the effects of trauma and violence on people's lives, health and health care experiences.

It also involves culturally safe care: reducing power imbalances, racism, and discrimination that often occur at health care encounters.

The dimension of harm reduction is also important. This involves focusing on preventing the harms of substance use, including stigma.

In our model, these three key dimensions overlap and can be adapted to any health care environment. We have isolated 10 strategies that derive from these critical dimensions to help health care workers and their organizations increase their capacity to deliver equity-focused health care. They include taking into account differences of power and the active fight against racism.

Hire a senior, reduce stigma

Equity-focused health care does not have to be expensive or time-consuming – many strategies involve helping people feel safe and comfortable.

They include avoiding critical language, not limiting visits to "a problem", and welcoming people who call or visit them warmly and promptly. They can be as simple as providing water or coffee in the waiting room.

Here are some examples of how the clinics involved in our first EQUIP study, all located in different cities and towns, have refined their practices to be more equity-oriented:

1. Reception staff decided to change the phrasing and tone of their voice in response to patient phone calls to make an appointment. They wanted to make sure that people did not feel dismissed or humiliated when they called.
2. A clinic serving a large number of Aboriginal people has decided to recruit a part-time senior who could talk to people while waiting for a doctor or nurse.
3. Staff initiated a chronic pain group to help patients learn about pain management. This was significant for people because chronic pain was influenced and exacerbated by poverty, addiction and loneliness.
4. Staff developed new harm reduction policies and practices to reduce stigma and improve support for people with substance abuse issues.
5. Staff have deliberately used new trauma and violence-informed approaches to provide better care to new immigrants and refugees arriving in Canada with a significant history of trauma and violence.

S & # 39; adapt to emergency services

Given the impact of the EQUIP model, we have developed free online tools for health equity and equitable modules, designed to help organizations and health care providers to provide health care focused on equity. -checks.

New studies are underway to adapt and test EQUIP in emergency departments, mental health agencies and hospital units – as we generate new evidence on the transformative potential of this approach to improve care for all.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.