Inclusive primary care improves people’s health. That’s the takeaway from a new study released in collaboration with Western University and the University of British Columbia.
The group of researchers studied the impact of care to low-income and marginalized people, when that care is provided in a respectful, inclusive and sensitive manner.
Clinics that offered such mindful care saw an significant improvement in the health care of in marginalized groups.
The study pointed to practises and policies called equity-oriented health care, with examples like greeting patients warmly and being genuinely concerned with their care, as a way to encourage more people to seek proper care.
For the study, researchers worked with four primary care clinics - two located in B.C. and two in Ontario - that serve large numbers of low-income groups, including Indigenous communities and people with complex health conditions.
