Diversity Competency and Access to Healthcare in Hospitals in Croatia, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia

Robert Doričić, Marcin Orzechowski, Marianne Nowak, Ivana Tutić Grokša, Katarzyna Bielińska, Anna Chowaniec, Mojca Ramšak, Paweł Łuków, Amir Muzur, Zvonka Zupanič-Slavec and Florian Steger
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Robert Doričić: Department of Social Sciences and Medical Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Marcin Orzechowski: Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, 89073 Ulm, Germany
Marianne Nowak: Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, 89073 Ulm, Germany
Ivana Tutić Grokša: Department of Social Sciences and Medical Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Katarzyna Bielińska: Center for Bioethics and Biolaw, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
Anna Chowaniec: Center for Bioethics and Biolaw, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
Mojca Ramšak: Institute for History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Paweł Łuków: Center for Bioethics and Biolaw, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
Amir Muzur: Department of Social Sciences and Medical Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Zvonka Zupanič-Slavec: Institute for History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Florian Steger: Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, 89073 Ulm, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Diversity competency is an approach for improving access to healthcare for members of minority groups. It includes a commitment to institutional policies and practices aimed at the improvement of the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals. The aim of this research is to investigate whether and how such a commitment is included in internal documents of hospitals in Croatia, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia. Using the methods of documentary research and thematic analysis we examined internal documents received from hospitals in these countries. In all four countries, the documents concentrate on general statements prohibiting discrimination with regard to healthcare provision. Specific regulations concerning ethnicity and culture focus on the issue of language barriers. With regard to religious practices, the documents from Croatia, Poland, and Slovenia focus on dominant religious groups. Observance of other religious practices and customs is rarely addressed. Healthcare needs of patients with non-heteronormative sexual orientation, intersexual, and transgender patients are explicitly addressed in only a few internal documents. Diversity competency policies are not comprehensively implemented in hospital internal regulations in hospitals under investigation. There is a need for the development and implementation of comprehensive policies in hospitals aiming at the specific needs of minority groups.

Keywords: access to healthcare; healthcare inequality; health services; ethics; diversity; ethnicity; religious belief; sexual orientation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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