Leadership and diversity: a call for new directions in reproductive health education and practice.

摘要

The terms "diversity" and "cultural competence" are freely used by well-motivated health professionals to address real health care equity problems among various populations . The primary areas of concern have involved race and gender differences. Significant differences in health education and patient care also exist between socioeconomic classes, geographic locations (i.e., rural vs. urban, north vs. south), disabled and abled communities, sexual orientations and age groups. Many pilot projects and studies in the developed world have been conducted over the past decade in an attempt to understand, address and rectify these differences. Although well-meaning, these endeavors alone are not sufficient to address the complex social issues that are part of true cultural competence and diversity awareness.