On April 17th and 18th 2024, Dr. Laura Rosella and her team at the Institute for Better Health (IBH), Aliya Allen-Valley, Joanna Dos Santos, and Joselyne Bolanos, hosted an Inequity Measurement Workshop at the IBH at Trillium Health Partners (THP). They brought together community-based organizations, researchers, health equity leaders, health system leaders, academic partners, students and more, to discuss inequities in health-care services, delivery, and outcomes. Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the workshop focused on new and existing approaches to measuring inequities and standardizing the reporting in health systems in order to monitor, increase accountability, and implement strategies to reduce these disparities.
Over two days, speaker and panel groups were organized into the following themes:
- Current gaps and approaches to inequity measurement in Canadian health systems
- Community-based organization perspectives on the need for inequity measurement and the importance of centering community voice and partnership
- International approaches to inequity measurement
- Integrating equity into hospital decision making and service design
- The widespread, systematic integration of inequity metrics into hospital reporting
Attendees travelled from both Canada and abroad to attend the workshop, representing Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and even the United Kingdom. The workshop included both panel discussions and interactive sessions through which participants were able to collaboratively discuss barriers and facilitators to the integration of inequity measurement practices within their health care systems. A focal point of the event was a focus on community perspectives to inequity measurement processes, and the importance of ensuring that community representatives are included as key partners in designed processes. Key takeaways from the workshop included the importance of learning from diverse health systems and working collaboratively to develop methods through which to measure and eventually address existing gaps; developing partnerships with varied organizations that serve the communities that we serve; and the importance of both local- and national-, international- or higher-level analysis when considering and measuring inequities.
For Dr. Rosella and her team, this workshop represents an integral first step towards the collaborative development of an accepted approach to inequity measurement. By sharing real-world examples of inequity measurement in practice, engaging directly with our communities, and continuing to share learnings, we can advance collaboration, education, and action on health equity.
For your convenience, please access the Workshop Summary Report: Integration of Novel Inequity Measurement Practices in Hospital Reporting here.