2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9
To Our Readers
Forty percent of U.S.
citizens now belong to a
racial or ethnic minority, at least 20% have a disability,
20% are not native English speakers and a minimum
of 5% are LGBTQIA2S+. How good is your staff at
embracing patients and co-workers who are not
white, fluent, cisgender, heterosexual and abled? As
Shamayne D. Braman, EdM, points out in her excel-
lent article on p. 4, the answer matters. As minority
groups continue to grow, hiring and including minori-
ty physicians and nurses, and learning to welcome,
listen to and empathize with patients from all back-
grounds, is no longer just the right thing to do. It's a
key to survival. Facilities that adapt will shine. Those
that don't will wither.
For most facilities, there's a lot to do. To reflect
the population, the percentage of nurses and physi-
cians who are non-white or Hispanic needs to double
and triple, respectively. Facilities must also labor to
become inclusive — to learn to celebrate differences,
to foster bridging between diverse groups, to level
the playing field for all workers. For those that suc-
ceed, good things await. After relentlessly and delib-
erately focusing on diversity, nearly 60% of the
217,000 Kaiser Permanente staff members are people
of color and three-fourths are women. It's no acci-
dent that Kaiser added some 1.5 million patients over
the last 2 years and grew net operating revenues by
10% each year. It also consistently wins accolades
from organizations representing the black, Latino,
LGBTQIA2S+ and disabled communities.
As their stories show, there really is gold at the end
of the rainbow. We wish you the very best of luck in
your journey there.
o u t p a t i e n t s u r g e r y . n e t
4 Hope for the Future
Diversity challenges are real,
but we can overcome them.
Nakeisha Archer,
MBA, RN, NE-BC, CNOR, CSSM
8 It's Time to Embrace
Healthcare Diversity
Diversity is not just an impor-
tant moral issue — it's an
existential economic one.
Shamayne D. Braman, EdM
19 9 Tips for Negotiating
Language Barriers
For moral, legal and
financial reasons,
we must do better.
Here's advice on how.
Allison P. Squires, PhD, RN
27 A Better Way to Care for Autistic Patients
This protocol makes care easier on and better for
patients, families and providers.
Dominique Hershberger, MEd, RN, CNOR
35 Make Your Facility More Inclusive
Tips to help you navigate the landscape of
sexual orientation and gender identification.
Shanna K. Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS
45 Fighting the Incivility War
Teaching and requiring respectful behavior improve
staff morale, patient safety and the bottom line.
Rebecca T. Gilbert, DNP, RN, CCRN
55 Is Your Facility Disability Friendly?
Take steps to ensure disabled patients and staff
have comfortable access to every room.
Outpatient Surgery Editors
62 Next Steps
N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9
Contents
27
