Health for all - towards more equal healthcare through open education
In the summer of 2023, Terveystalo collected experiences of gender and sexual minorities in healthcare and development ideas to promote more equal healthcare. 64% of respondents said they had experienced discrimination in healthcare services. Terveystalo supports healthcare professionals in sensitive encounters by publishing a training open to all.
Health care requires a safe space and discriminatory experiences can delay the beginning of care. 64% of respondents said they had experienced discrimination in healthcare services. Discriminatory experiences were particularly related to gender bias and prejudice, negative or dismissive attitudes and ignorance.
– The underlying attitudes, assumptions and norms are often unconscious. Feedback suggests that assumptions continue to be made in the health sector, which are reflected, inter alia, in the language spoken. There were also situations where the actual encounter went smoothly, but in the records afterwards the spouse has changed, for example, into a husband or wife. The first challenge to overcome is awareness - it is difficult to establish a secure relationship if you are not aware of your own assumptions. The healthcare professional is in a position of authority and we have a responsibility to be aware and to build a safe space for the patient in every encounter, says Antti-Jussi Ämmälä, Chief Medical Officer of Quality at Terveystalo.
The experiences also highlighted a lack of awareness of gender diversity and sexual and gender minority health issues.
– Members of sexual and gender minorities often experience minority stress. When prolonged, minority stress is a stress factor that increases the risk of illness, both physical and psychological. These factors, combined with negative experiences of healthcare, can further complicate and delay seeking care," continues Antti-Jussi Ämmälä.
– Traditionally, health professionals have not been trained on these issues. Health professionals have also requested training. We are addressing this shortcoming with providing an open training to all. We are thus continuing the work we have already started internally to train healthcare professionals in gender and sexual diversity and related health issues. After completing the online training "Health for all", professionals will have basic knowledge and will be able to increase the safety experienced by customers through their own actions," says Minttu Sinisalo, Human Resources Director at Terveystalo.
The training, which is open to all, can be found at www.terveyskuuluukaikille.com.
– As a company, Terveystalo plays a major role in Finnish society, especially in the healthcare of the working-age population. We want to build more inclusive healthcare for all. Our experience shows that as an industry we have a lot to look at. We encourage all healthcare actors to address these issues and invite everyone to join us in creating more inclusive healthcare. Based on the feedback, we will also continue our internal development work and improve our facilities and systems to support safe and equal access," says Kati Kaksonen, Director of Communications, Corporate Responsibility and Investor Relations at Terveystalo.
