Imaging guides many, if not most, healthcare decisions, and radiologists are critical to the mission of eliminating disparities throughout the health system. This issue highlights some of the many ways that radiologists are advancing this goal.
A Challenge For Our Times: Delivering Equitable Care For All
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As medical professionals, we have an ethical responsibility to understand our patients’ medical needs and the influences impacting their care. Providing equitable care does not simply mean delivering equal care across different patient populations. It means reducing and eliminating barriers so that everyone — regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status — has the opportunity to attain their full health potential. In short, providing equitable care means comprehensively addressing individual patient needs for more positive outcomes across all populations.Inequities have existed within the healthcare system for decades. Barriers to access and care — from economic strife to systems-based discriminatory policies — have resulted in avoidable negative health outcomes, even death, among some patient populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the magnitude and consequences of these inequities even more. Now is the time for radiologists to seize the opportunity to make healthcare more equitable for all.
Imaging guides many, if not most, healthcare decisions, and radiologists are critical to the mission of eliminating disparities throughout the health system. This issue highlights some of the many ways that radiologists are advancing this goal. From developing language tools for patients who speak limited English, to advocating for lifesaving screening coverage for women, to conducting community outreach and encouraging smokers to receive early lung cancer screening, radiologists are addressing barriers that prohibit patients from accessing and fully participating in their care.
Achieving health equity will require dedication both inside and outside of our healthcare delivery systems. Faced with this challenge for our times, we must be focused and forward-thinking in this effort. In helping patients who face the greatest barriers, we will help all patients reach their full health potential.
Jacqueline A. Bello, MD, F新澳门六合彩官网
Vice Chair, 新澳门六合彩官网 Board of Chancellors