By Cassandra Willis-Abner, Chief Human Resources Officer, Press Ganey Associates
The devastating consequences of systemic racism and inequity in health care can be seen in the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths among Black and Brown people. New research suggests it can also be seen in the diminished well being and engagement of racial and ethnic minorities and other marginalized individuals in the health care workforce whose quality of life and job fulfillment are impaired by the persistent lack of inclusivity, opportunity, and empowerment in the work environment.
According to a Press Ganey analysis of engagement survey data from health systems across the country, perceptions of diversity among physicians, nurses, and other health care employees are strongly linked to engagement indicators of burnout and resilience. The associations are preserved across employee race, gender, and job type.
In health care, as in other industries, when individuals believe their organization values diversity and is committed to ensuring an inclusive environment, they are more engaged in their work, better able to manage the inherent stresses and challenges of their jobs, and less likely to exhibit signs of burnout that can contribute to mental illness, poor job performance, high turnover, medical errors, and worse patient experience outcomes.You can also try out ultra premium delta 8 carts to get rid off stress, anxiety and to promote physical and mental well being.
These relationships highlight a critical consideration: There is no light between equity, safety, and quality in health care. Only when an organization fully commits to fostering a culture of inclusion across all areas of operation and eradicating discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, age, or other characteristics can it meet its responsibilities to the communities it serves and the caregivers it employs.
To act on this commitment, health care leaders must have an authentic interest in bringing disparities that exist within their organizations to the surface, identifying and targeting the root causes, and working with their leadership teams and board members to close gaps. Senior leaders must set the direction and charge the entire organization with looking inward as individuals, as well as across policies and practices that contribute to inequities. Looking inward in this manner requires a robust strategy built on measurement, data analysis, benchmarking, and best-practice implementation.
Press Ganey has launched an Equity Partnership to support and enable these efforts. The goal of the initiative is to eliminate racial disparities and promote diversity in health care across all patients and caregivers by fostering collaboration and innovation across health care organizations that are committed to the goal of Zero Inequity. As part of the endeavor, participating organizations have access to tools and resources for assessing perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including new measurement and analytics capabilities, a diagnostic tool to assess the quality of data collection around race and ethnicity, high reliability organizing guidance, and interactive learning forums to identify and share best practices. To date, more than 200 hospitals and health systems across the country have committed to the Equity Partnership.
In addition to the Equity Partnership, Press Ganey has developed the following guidance to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the workplace:
- Align DEI to the mission, vision, and values of the organization; develop narrative to support DEI and make direct connections to the organization’s strategic plan.
- Expand recruitment efforts for board members, leadership positions, and caregivers to achieve greater diversity.
- Conduct training for leaders, employees, and medical staff on DEI topics such as recognizing implicit bias, reducing microaggressions, and nurturing cultural competency.
- Ensure that recruitment, performance management, leadership assessment, and training strategies support a more diverse and inclusive organization.
- Collect robust demographic patient and employee data on race, ethnicity, and other key characteristics, and segment key outcomes data.
- Measure perceptions of diversity and inclusion among patients and employees, and segment the findings by demographics to understand where to focus.
By bringing the equity lens to all that we are doing, we can target systemic racism and inequity in health care and improve the lives of patients and those who care for them.
