Title: Health Disparities: Equity vs Equality | Diversity in Education Blog
Headings: Health Disparities: Equity vs Equality
Health Disparities: Equity vs Equality
Content: When researchers and healthcare professionals engage with the community that they work to help, bridges are built that allow certain minority populations to feel more comfortable accessing proper care. This will then positively impact recruitment efforts for important research studies to be conducted. It is equally valuable for students that are engaged in various other types of medical education (Medical School, School of Health Sciences, Nursing, and Continuing Education) to participate with patients, physicians, and community members as well. Cultivating relationships and reminding oneself of the positive effects of our work plays a crucial role the eventual elimination of health disparities. While reducing health disparities is a positive step, complete elimination of it is the ultimate goal toward health equity for all. Truly eliminating disparities means achieving equity for all individuals regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Equity is reached when patients receive the appropriate care necessary for their medical condition or situation. Equity distinctly differs from equality. Equality refers to applying the same solution to different cases, while equity examines each case carefully and applies the appropriate solution for each case. For example, in the illustration below, each person has an equal number of boxes in the ‘equality’ panel.