Challenges of Diversity-Sensitive Care in Medical Rehabilitation

• Published in: Die Rehabilitation Vol. 56; no. 5; p. 299
• Main Authors: Brzoska, P, Razum, O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Age Factors; Cultural Diversity; Emigrants and Immigrants; Female; Gender Identity; Germany; Humans; Male; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Rehabilitation - organization & administration; Socioeconomic Factors; Germany
• ISSN: 1439-1309
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-100014

Diversity markers such as sex, migration background and socioeconomic status are associated with different needs and expectations in health care. In rehabilitation these needs and expectations are often not adequately accounted for. This may affect health care outcomes. In order to improve rehabilitative care, it is not sufficient to only focus on selected diversity criteria such as migration background. This has two reasons: First, health care users are defined by a wide range of different diversity markers; second, diversity markers are closely interrelated. Diversity management allows to address the population as a whole by establishing conditions in health care institutions which permit to cater for the diversity of all health care users, thereby allowing to provide a more patient-oriented health care.