Non-communicable diseases are common causes of illness, disability, and death affecting a growing number of people worldwide. Many of these conditions tend to be more common, be diagnosed later, be treated slower, and result in worse outcomes for particular individuals: people belonging to ethnic minority groups, people residing in lower-income areas, and others whose life conditions place them at risk for poor health. Despite decades of efforts to reduce and eliminate health disparities, they have persisted and in some cases they are widening. Such disparities do not have a single cause. Some of the factors influencing health and contributing to health disparities include: social determinants of health such as poverty, lack of education, racism, discrimination, and stigma; environment and community conditions such as how a community looks (e.g., property neglect), what residents are exposed to (e.g., advertising, violence), and what resources are available there (e.g., transportation, grocery stores); behavioural factors such as diet, tobacco use, and engagement in physical activity; medical services such as the availability and quality of medical services.
We have an obligation to examine the discrepancies in care, discover tangible steps to move toward health equity, and develop strategies, including the use of enhanced surgical education techniques and collaborative practice to deliver higher quality care to all patients.
We invite articles that describe improvements in surgical equity through engaging communities, identifying needs, conducting analyses, developing partnerships, or implementing and evaluating evidence-based interventions. However, we are also interested in articles that describe interventions that may have inadvertently widened health inequities, and whether this is an issue with the design and/or implementation of the intervention.
Non-communicable diseases are common causes of illness, disability, and death affecting a growing number of people worldwide. Many of these conditions tend to be more common, be diagnosed later, be treated slower, and result in worse outcomes for particular individuals: people belonging to ethnic minority groups, people residing in lower-income areas, and others whose life conditions place them at risk for poor health. Despite decades of efforts to reduce and eliminate health disparities, they have persisted and in some cases they are widening. Such disparities do not have a single cause. Some of the factors influencing health and contributing to health disparities include: social determinants of health such as poverty, lack of education, racism, discrimination, and stigma; environment and community conditions such as how a community looks (e.g., property neglect), what residents are exposed to (e.g., advertising, violence), and what resources are available there (e.g., transportation, grocery stores); behavioural factors such as diet, tobacco use, and engagement in physical activity; medical services such as the availability and quality of medical services.
We have an obligation to examine the discrepancies in care, discover tangible steps to move toward health equity, and develop strategies, including the use of enhanced surgical education techniques and collaborative practice to deliver higher quality care to all patients.
We invite articles that describe improvements in surgical equity through engaging communities, identifying needs, conducting analyses, developing partnerships, or implementing and evaluating evidence-based interventions. However, we are also interested in articles that describe interventions that may have inadvertently widened health inequities, and whether this is an issue with the design and/or implementation of the intervention.
