Healthcare Diversity Resources

The April Toolbox focuses on updating the Healthcare Diversity Resources to now include aspects of diversity beyond race and ethnicity. The toolbox includes books and articles to help readers advance their knowledge related to diversity in healthcare systems, the LGBTQ+ community, and other vulnerable communities where healthcare disparities tend to occur. 

Books

Human-Centered Leadership in Healthcare: Evolution of a Revolution by Kay Kennedy, Lucy Leclerc, & Susan P. Campis

Human-Centered Leadership” is a new leadership model based on the theory of complex systems. It addresses the requirement for healthcare organizations to develop environments that produce market leading outcomes which demonstrate value for patients. Since healthcare is a human-centric industry, it requires care for the leaders, the staff, and the patients. The Human-Centered Leadership model embraces the leader's focus on self-care and mindfulness while simultaneously focusing outward on others.

 

Patients Come Second: Leading Change by Changing the Way You Lead by Paul Spigelman & Britt Berrett

Patients Come Second” shakes up the traditional healthcare model, arguing that in order to care for and retain patients, leaders must first create exceptional teams and find ways to engage nurses, administrative staff, physicians, supervisors, and even housekeeping staff and switchboard operators. By connecting employees' work with a higher purpose and equipping them with the tools to become leaders themselves, patient care can be dramatically transformed. And with continuing healthcare changes on the horizon and ever-rising pressure to acquire and keep patients, doing so now is more important than ever. 

 

Did That Just Happen?: Beyond Diversity- Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations by Stephanie Pinder-Amaker & Lauren Wadsworth

Did That Just Happen” offers real-life accounts that illustrate common workplace occurrences around inclusivity and answers to questions like “How do I identify and handle diversity landmines at work?” and “What can I do when I’ve made a mistake?” this handbook breaks down ways that organizations (and all people) can improve their cultural awareness and become more equitable in their work and personal relationships.

 

Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World that Can’t See Clearly by Isaac Lidsky

Whether you’re blind or not, our vision is limited by our past experiences, biases, and emotions. Lidsky shows us how we can overcome paralyzing fears, avoid falling prey to our own assumptions, and faulty leaps of logic, silence our inner critic, harness our strength, and live with open hearts and minds. In sharing his hard-won insights, Lidsky shows us how we too can confront life’s trials with initiative, humor, and grace.

Articles

Gibson AW, Gobillot TA, Wang K, Conley E, Coard W, Matsumoto K, Letourneau H, Patel S, Merel SE, Sairenji T, Whipple ME, Ryan MR, Morales LS, Heinen C. A novel curriculum for medical students training in LGBTQ healthcare: A regional pathway experience. J Med Educ Curric Devel. 2020.
 https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520965254
“The Pathway curriculum and methodology described here serve as a model for student involvement and leadership in medical education. This program enables medical students to enhance their training in the care of LGBTQ patients and provides a unique educational opportunity for future physicians who strive to better serve LGBTQ populations.”

Stewart K, O’Reilly P. Exploring the attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs of nurses and midwives of the healthcare needs of the LGBTQ population: An integrative review. Nurs Educ Today. 2017;53:67-77.
“To explore current literature surrounding the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of nurses and midwives of the healthcare needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) patients and their influence on equal and non-discriminatory care for LGBTQ individuals.”

Loeb AJ, Wardell D, Johnson CM. Coping and healthcare utilization in LGBTQ older adults: A systematic review. Geriatr Nurs. 2021;42:833-842.
“This systematic review was conducted to identify, synthesize, and elucidate the coping mechanisms described by aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults (60+) when utilizing healthcare.”

Ramsey ZS, Davidov DM, Levy CB, Abildso CG. A etic view of LGBTQ healthcare: Barriers to access according to healthcare providers and researchers. J Gay Lesbian Soc Serv. 2022. 10.1080/10538720.2022.2042452
“This study aims to identify the health needs of the SGM population through in-depth interviews with researchers and health care providers that have spent their careers working with members of this population.”

Nowaskie DZ, Sowinski JS. Primary care providers’ attitudes, practices, and knowledge in treating LGBTQ communities. J Homosexuality. 2019;66(13): 1927-1947.
 https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1519304
“Cultural competency in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) health care has been found to be lacking within various medical specialties, but no studies have compared competency among primary care providers. The authors compared 127 primary care providers’ cultural competency regarding LGBTQ health using a survey that assessed providers’ attitudes, practices, and knowledge”

Andermann A. Taking action on the social determinants of health in clinical practice: A framework for health professions. CMAJ. 2016;188:E474-E483.
“In this review, we identify the concrete actions that clinicians can use to help address the social determinants of health as part of their routine clinical practice”

Bhatt J, Bathija P. Ensuring access to quality health care in vulnerable communities. Acad Med. 2018;93(9):1271-1275.
“The authors outline characteristics and parameters of vulnerable communities as well as the essential health care services that hospitals should strive to maintain locally identified by the American Hospital Association Task Force on Ensuring Access in Vulnerable Communities.”

Gopalkrishnan N. Cultural diversity and mental health: Considerations for policy and practice. Frontiers Public Health. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00179
“The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the key considerations that lie at the intersection of cultural diversity and mental health… This paper will excavate some of these considerations with a view to raising possible ways in which mental health systems and professionals can engage across cultures more equitably and sustainably.”

Pachankis JE, Clark KA, Jackson SD, Periera K, Levine D. Current capacity and future implementation of mental health servies in U.S. LGBTQ community centers. Psychiatric Services. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000575
“Since the beginning of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights movement, LGBTQ community centers have been on the front lines of mental health care for sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) across the United States. However, little is known about what types of mental health services LGBTQ community centers currently offer and their anticipated future needs, including training in and delivery of evidence-based practice.”

Fish JN. Future directions in understanding and addressing mental health among LGBTQ youth. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2020;49(6):943-956.
“Today’s LGBTQ youth come of age at a time of dynamic social and political change with regard to LGBTQ rights and visibility yet remain vulnerable to compromised mental health. Despite advances in individual-level treatment strategies, school-based programs, and state-level policies that address LGBTQ mental health, there remains a critical gap in large-scale evidence-based prevention and intervention programs designed to support the positive development and mental health of LGBTQ youth.

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