The Evidence for Diversity

Diversity is increasingly recognized as an important concept for physicians in training to understand and a core value of health care because the lack of diversity can result in detrimental effects to patients and colleagues alike. Diversity can be described in many ways, but in broad terms it is “any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another” (Diversity and Inclusion Definitions. https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/administration/admabout/diversity_inclusion/definitions). This includes diversity in gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, language, and experiences, among many other qualifiers. An active effort to increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce and gain a deeper understanding of the evidence for the importance of diversity is an important undertaking because that understanding is necessary to take excellent care of patients and do your part to help reduce health inequities. In this chapter, the definitions of the key aspects of diversity will be described, followed by the evidence for the importance of diversity in the community and in healthcare, and finally the ways in which trainees can actively educate themselves and work toward reducing disparities and promoting a diverse workforce will be elucidated.