How Can Laboratory Scientists Help With Equitable Care Delivery?
More Programs and Publications Featuring Dr. Dana Powell Baker
In this program:
How can work toward equitable care delivery be aided by laboratory scientists? Laboratory medicine scientists Dr. Brandy Gunsolus and Dr. Dana Powell Baker share their perspectives and hope for the future of equitable care.
Transcript
Interviewer:
What is the most important takeaway around equitable care delivery and the complex interplay between lab values and ethnicity in the lab setting today and also in the classroom?
Dr. Brandy Gunsolus:
I would say, clinically, the most important takeaway is that you're going to see historically where we haven't done things right. And as an industry, we are working very hard to correct those injustices that have really taken place. You're going to see in the historical records where there's ethnicity that is marked and that lab values are different based off ethnicity. And we have determined as an industry that that is not appropriate. It never should have happened. And we're making those strides to correct that issue. Also, making strides to educate clinicians on this issue, right? We've got a long way to go with basically re-earning the trust of the community that we serve. And I hope that with this video that we've done today that it's a step towards re-earning that trust.
Interviewer:
Thank you so much. And, Dr. Baker?
Dr. Dana Powell Baker:
Yeah, just thinking from a academic or training lens, the two words that come to mind when I think of today's learner is both hope and inspiration, just because I feel like today's learner is more inquisitive or curious as into this discussion just around health equity and health disparities and asking more questions, asking why are only certain ethnicities represented and others are not. Why are we having discussions about ethnicity in relation to laboratory data or laboratory testing? And so, just having those kinds of questions that, I don't want to say challenge, but I appreciate that challenge or pushback as into really substantiate this why, I think it has really fostered these really important, crucial conversations that need to happen. It really shows where their thinking is and that they are intentional in thinking about what is the overall impact on the patients that we're providing care for.
So that's why I say I'm hopeful, because by them really challenging this discussion and really wanting to learn more or really demanding that understanding of why were we even in this place historically, and we want better for our patients moving forward. I think that just gives that insight and that light into where we want to go as a profession, that we want to be more comprehensive but more represented as far as pathology and laboratory medicine in that patient care model that even though you may not always see us directly, we are there, and we are a vital part of the healthcare team. And what we have to offer strongly contributes to the quality and the outcome of that patient's care. And so, just to have that level of advocacy going on, not just from the patient perspective, but also from the practitioner perspective, especially for those of us that are within laboratory medicine, is just really affirming. And although, we have a long ways to go, we have the people in place that want to take us there.
Interviewer:
And just check off of what both of you are saying. I think it's important also for not just for providers, but for patients to acknowledge that medicine is very integrated and that there are people behind the scenes, and it's okay to ask questions. And it isn't just your provider that's giving you all of the answers, there's so much more that can go into it. There's so much for you to be educated on, so much for them to be educated on. And yeah, I think medicine just needs to be practiced more holistically and taking more of a collaborative approach to medicine with the incorporation of pathologists, with the incorporation of medical lab specialists, is just to work towards a better practice of medicine in general.
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