Question
What is inclusive healthcare?
Answer
Inclusive healthcare means anyone who suffers from a particular condition can come and receive care, and they are welcomed with open arms. Inclusive healthcare requires that healthcare providers understand that patients have unique perspectives, and those perspectives are heard. For example, healthcare providers will recognize that every patient with depression may not present in the same manner and they may not look the same. Therefore, we have to be sure to hear the unique perspectives of each patient who has a particular diagnosis and not group them together, and let our implicit bias or stereotypes impede how we care for patients.
Inclusive healthcare also means that providers want to make sure that patients feel a sense of belonging, no matter what the condition is and that there are treatment options available.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Health Care: It's Not Just Black and White - Mental Health Care, presented by Susan Holmes-Walker, PhD, RN
