Equity-oriented healthcare: What it is and why we need it in oncology
Date
2022
Authors
Horrill, Tara C.
Browne, Annette J.
Stajduhar, Kelli I.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Current Oncology
Abstract
Alarming differences exist in cancer outcomes for people most impacted by persistent and
widening health and social inequities. People who are socially disadvantaged often have higher
cancer-related mortality and are diagnosed with advanced cancers more often than other people.
Such outcomes are linked to the compounding effects of stigma, discrimination, and other barriers,
which create persistent inequities in access to care at all points in the cancer trajectory, preventing
timely diagnosis and treatment, and further widening the health equity gap. In this commentary,
we discuss how growing evidence suggests that people who are considered marginalized are not
well-served by the cancer care sector and how the design and structure of services can often impose
profound barriers to populations considered socially disadvantaged. We highlight equity-oriented
healthcare as one strategy that can begin to address inequities in health outcomes and access to care
by taking action to transform organizational cultures and approaches to the design and delivery of
cancer services.
Description
Keywords
health equity, healthcare accessibility, health services, cultural safety, cancer
Citation
Horill, T., Browne, A., Stajduhar, K. (2022). “Equity-oriented healthcare: What it is and why we need it in oncology.” Current Oncology, 29(1), 186-192. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29010018