By: Roma Amin, MD, Faculty, Grant Family Medicine Residency Program
Reprinted from the spring 2020 Issue of The Ohio Family Physician.
As family physicians, we are part of the front line of medicine. We care for patients across all settings and geographical regions. We advocate for their needs and push for important advancements in healthcare. And while we endlessly fight for progress, it is also important that we pause and dedicate deliberate energy towards making the care that we provide more equitable for our patients and our colleagues. A first step that we can all take is a commitment to diversity and inclusion within our workplaces.
It is widely accepted that diversity within teams leads to improved quality of work. In healthcare, it is shown to improve rates of preventive services, treatment adherence, and trust that patients have regarding the care they are receiving.1,2 Diversity allows us to be flexible and develop more effective solutions, but diversity is only the first part of the equation.3 In order to appreciate the benefits of diversity, we also need to commit to a culture of inclusion.
Inclusion strategist Vernā Myers describes that diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance. If diversity is how a workplace looks on the outside, inclusion is how it actually feels to work there. Are people of different backgrounds valued and respected? Does the team feel that they belong and have purpose? Do individuals feel safe to voice their opinions and concerns? It is important during this reflection to not focus on the average of these answers, but rather on the distribution of these answers.
- Admit to mistakes. Leaders who are open about their mistakes and knowledge gaps create a safe environment for all team members and set an important precedence.
- Listen without judgement and don’t discount opposing viewpoints. If there are major disagreements within the team, search for shared values and move forward from there.
- Make diversity and inclusion a personal priority. Simply being aware of these issues and their importance allows you to engage with and intentionally change your culture.
- Explore your own unconscious biases. Participate in local or online trainings to further understand what implicit bias is and how it may be unintentionally affecting your team.
In order to build a healthcare system that is equipped to resolve the health inequities that our patients and colleagues face every day, we need a group of compassionate, intelligent, and dedicated individuals.5 Family physicians have long served as the catalyst for change in medicine, and our skills are needed in this arena as well. Regardless of your experience with diversity and inclusion, find opportunities to apply inclusive leadership. Sponsor a female colleague or colleague of color for a leadership position. Advocate for gender neutral language in your office. Support family leave for your colleagues who are adopting. The culture that we create in our workplaces comes from intentional work, and we must all commit to our part of it.
References are available on the OAFP website.