Effective shared decision-making (SDM) and addressing social drivers of health (SDoH) are critical for improving patient outcomes and reducing health care disparities. Low health literacy and inadequate patient-provider communication can lead to poor health outcomes, increased hospitalizations, and higher health …
Low health literacy and limited English proficiency (LEP) significantly impact health care access and outcomes for members of diverse racial and ethnic groups, including Asian and Latine individuals. Addressing these barriers is critical for improving health equity and ensuring effective …
Patients who are also Veterans present with a variety of complex health-related social needs (HRSN) that make accessing, receiving, and benefiting from clinical care challenging. An increasing number of veterans are now homeless, substance use disorders and suicide attempts are …
Transgender and non-binary individuals face overt discrimination and outright hostility in daily life, and the health care setting is not always a safe, welcoming place for these patients. This collective stigmatizing, invalidating, and traumatizing experience contributes to poor health outcomes …
LGBTQIA+ patients struggle to engage with a health care system that is endlessly complex and almost completely unresponsive to their unique health needs. Medical students, student pharmacists, PA students, and nursing students receive very few LGBTQ+ curricular hours and report …
Patients with disabilities, especially those with complex social determinants of health, are underserved by a health care system they find unwelcoming and difficult to navigate. Most doctors, nurses, and patient-facing staff do not receive disability-related training, and many lack confidence …
Patients from aging populations face a number of challenges when accessing health care, including overt negative bias toward older adults, complex and time-consuming care, and the lack of thorough integration into e-health systems. Patients who find themselves at the intersection …
Hispanic/Latino patients do not enjoy equitable access to health care treatment or resources. Systemic racism has severely limited Hispanic/Latino patients’ opportunities to productively engage with the health care system, and the results are negative patient experiences and outcomes. Hispanic/Latino patients …
Rural-residing patients encounter roadblocks when they need health care. These patients likely live a considerable geographic distance from providers and facilities, the facilities themselves are far from one another, and there is a shortage of clinicians. Providers who serve in …