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Achieving health equity: A guide for health care organizations

This resource is available in English only.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement wrote this white paper to provide health care organizations with guidance on how they can reduce health inequities related to characteristics linked to discrimination and social exclusion. [1] The white paper provides a business case for accelerating action to achieve health equity on the basis that the disease burden brought on by inequities increases costs to the health care system, insurers, employers, patients and families. [1]

The white paper describes a five-part framework to guide health care organizations in making health equity a system-level priority. [1]

Key framework components include the following [1] p. 11:

  • Making health equity a strategic priority
  • Developing structures and processes to support health equity work
  • Deploying specific strategies to address the multiple determinants of health on which health care organizations can have a direct impact
  • Decreasing institutional racism within the organization
  • Developing partnerships with community organizations to improve health and equity

Also included in the white paper is a case study featuring a health care organization with a history of health equity integration at the system level, as well as a health equity self-assessment tool for health care organizations.

Use this resource to

  • guide the integration of health equity across your health care organization and
  • conduct an organizational health-equity self-assessment.

Reference

Wyatt R, Laderman M, Botwinick L, Mate K, Whittington J. Achieving Health Equity: A Guide for Health Care Organizations. IHI White Paper [Internet]. Cambridge (MA): Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2016 [cited 2018 Nov 11]. Available from http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/Achieving-Health-Equity.aspx

References

[1] Wyatt R, Laderman M, Botwinick L, Mate K, Whittington J. Achieving Health Equity: A Guide for Health Care Organizations. IHI White Paper [Internet]. Cambridge (MA): Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2016 [cited 2018 Nov 11]. Available from http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/Achieving-Health-Equity.aspx

Tags: Methods & tools, Racism/racialization, Report / Document