Hospitals making progress with equitable care
Hospitals are making progress in equitable care, according to results of a survey recently released by the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity in Health Management.
The survey found that when hospitals collected patient demographic information in 2013, 97% collected data on race, 94% on ethnicity, and 95% on primary language. The collection and use of patient demographic data is an important tool to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in providing quality care for all patients, according to the survey.
The survey also found that 86% of hospitals train clinical staff to address cultural differences, an improvement from the 81% reported in 2011. The number of hospitals requiring diversity training also improved to 64.5%, up from 60.5% from 2011.
The biggest opportunity for improvement is increasing diversity in leadership and governance. The percentage of minorities in hospital board positions remained unchanged since 2011 at 14%. The percentage in executive leadership positions also remained the same at 12%. The only gain was in first- and mid-level management positions a 17%, up from 15% two years prior.
Source: Institute for Diversity in Health Management