DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
SAEM PULSE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022
Recruiting, Engaging, and Retaining Diverse Faculty in EM: A Call to Action
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By Tabia Santos, MD; Annabella Salvador MD; and Nancy Kwon MD on behalf of the SAEM Equity and Inclusion Committee and Faculty Development Committee Health care disparities are a national issue, and disparities in health outcomes have been widely studied. There is overwhelming evidence to support the existence of persistent gaps in health care and the need to find solutions to these inequalities, including diversifying the medical workforce. When reviewing health outcome measures, historically marginalized communities have lagged white populations. When the patientprovider relationship is hampered by mistrust, satisfaction with health care services decreases and correlates with worse health outcomes (e.g., lack
“Emergency medicine has long been a critical gateway and safety net for patients with poor access to health care services.” in medication adherence and patient follow-up visits). Consequently, the Joint Commission is addressing these disparities as a quality and patient safety imperative. Emergency medicine has long been a critical gateway and safety net for
patients with poor access to health care services. The emergency department (ED) is a clinical setting where patients should have equal health care regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender and/or ability to pay; yet health inequity runs rampant even in this setting.
