To make real progress on health inequities, bold goals must be set, just as with other outcomes. That means going beyond marginal improvements and setting a goal of zero never events related to healthcare inequity, Dr. Joshi wrote.
“Marginal improvement goals (e.g., 5 percent or 10 percent improvement), are designed in a way that you may think a little ‘extra effort’ will be all that is needed to achieve success,” he said. “All or nothing goals, however, necessitate a redesign with innovative and dramatic improvements.”
In practice, this demands healthcare organizations capture disparity measures in their “top quality” dashboard with a goal of zero disparity, similar to other patient safety measures. Dr. Joshi also offers the example of ensuring all employees feel equally included in employee engagement and inclusion surveys.
Beyond goal-setting, making health inequities never events would likely require organizational culture and value shifts. Overall, deeming health inequity a never event requires a 100 percent reduction mindset, accountability at every level of the organization, tracking of inequality measures, and a laser focus on prevention rather than response.
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