CDE Appendix 1 Literature Review - Central East Local Health ...

HEALTH EQUITY LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Background
This literature review forms an initial part of a wider 1.5-year project of the Central East LHINS to develop policy,
accountability, and education frameworks regarding culture, diversity, and health equity. The overall objective of
the project is to:
• Develop planning policy framework for Cultural Competence, Diversity, & Equity from which future and
current initiatives, policies, and projects can be assessed.
• Articulate standards for cultural competence for service providers;
• Address compliance and quality assurance through accreditation, accountability agreements, and other auditing
tools; and
• Facilitate enhanced access to culturally competent, sensitive, and appropriate health services through education.
Scope
Three main bodies of intersecting literature were reviewed:
1. Policies and frameworks regarding health equity and cultural competence;
2. Documents on compliance, quality assurance, accountability agreements, and other auditing tools and methods
to help ensure effective implementation of policies ;
3. Frameworks and Standards for cultural competence education and training.
While local, national and international bodies of literature were reviewed, focus was on the multicultural global
North (North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand) for reasons of transferability to the Ontario LHINS
context. Public sector health equity strategies at regional, provincial/state and national levels were also privileged for
similar reasons.
Methods
Grey and academic literature was reviewed using York University and University of Toronto library catalogues and
various internet search engines (primarily Google).
Academic Journal Databases searched included:
• Medline (PubMed and Ovid); Proquest; Evidence Based Medicine Reviews; Scopus; Sociological Abstracts;
Social Sciences Abstracts; Social Work Abstracts; PsychINFO; PsychARTICLES; Web of Science; Expanded
Academic (ASAP); and PAIS.
Grey Literature was primarily culled from google internet searches, in addition to a variety of online sources,
including:
• Government Sources: Government Health Ministry/Department websites (Canada, UK, US, Australia, New
Zealand); GovInfo: Government on the Web; Government of Canada Publications Catalogue; Canadian
Institutes of Health Research; Canadian Health Research Collection; National Institute of Mental Health (US);
Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (US); National Institute of Mental health (US); Substance