Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health

IMPRODISE

Improving diversity sensitivity in health care - training for health professionals

The project aims to respond to the health challenges of an increasingly diverse European population by improving the health professional’s ability to deliver diversity sensitive healthcare and tackling health inequalities between ethnic groups. The project is funded by EIT Health and will be implemented in the period Januar 1st – December 31st 2020.

The ambition of the IMPRODISE project is to develop and implement excellent training in diversity competence for both medical students, teachers and health professionals. A core element is strengthening diversity sensitive communication in patients-physician encounter by improving awareness, knowledge and practical skills.

Training package for health professionals

The aim of the training is to improve knowledge of participants with regard to diversity aspects in health and healthcare, including theoretical knowledge of concepts of diversity; of the impact of diversity and intersectionality on health and healthcare; and of epidemiological aspects of diversity and health.

To fulfill the aim, a training package consisting of a 6-7 hour course and a follow-up tool (lunchbox sessions) will be developed. The content of the course will be both theoretical knowledge and training in attitudes and skills. The lunchbox sessions, which purpose it is to ensure continuous reflexion, is case-based learner-needs driven sessions, were health professionals bring their own cases for discussion.

To validate and to ensure high quality content, a Delphy study with experts in diversity competence training will be conducted. Additionally, the content will be discussed in focus groups with health professionals in Copenhagen and Heidelberg.

Training module for medical teachers

The aim of the training is to make medical teachers both more competent for educating an ethnic diverse student population but also more competent in teaching in diversity competence.

Therefore, two training modules of 2 hours has been developed. The first session will consist of a short theoretical background, and an introduction to the tool "diversity scan" which has been developed by Hester Radstake". The second session will be based on the participants' own teaching, which is evaluated with a focus on problem recognition, solution finding and peer feedback.

The course is offered to 30 medical teachers at the University of Copenhagen and Ghent University.

Implementing diversity competence in medical education

The aim of this work package is to create a model for how diversity competence can be implemented in medical education.

Three focus groups will be established to discuss and give input on how and where it could be relevant to implement diversity competence in the medical curriculum and identify 2-3 courses, which can be subjects for pilot-testing. The groups will consist of 25-30 participants and include; (1) course leaders from relevant courses in the medical program; (2) medical students at master’s level (10th and 11th semester) and; (3) newly graduated doctors with 1-4 years of working experience. Representatives from organisations who represent students with different social and ethnic minority background will be included in the process as part of the focus group consisting of medical students.

The data from the focus groups will be analysed and form the basis for a report with suggestions and guidelines on how to implement diversity competences in medical education.

Partners

The Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health (MESU) is located at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. MESU conducts interdisciplinary research, teaching, and communication with focus on the role of social inequality in migrants and ethnic minorities' health and on the importance of the migration process.

For more information visit: https://mesu.ku.dk/

The multidisciplinary Section Health Equity and Migration of the University Hospital Heidelberg is experienced in connecting research, clinical practice and teaching of structural and diversity sensitive care, especially regarding migrant and refugee-patients. A walk-in-clinic for refugees is affiliated with this partner, who already developed and implemented a clinical elective for medical students which ran successfully over the last seven years.
For more information visit:

The Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Ghent University has a long history of teaching diversity in medical education. The Equity in Health Care research group has been focusing on inequalities in the provision of healthcare in different domains and has been developing a line of courses focusing on broad diversity issues from an intersectional approach.
For more information visit: https://www.ugent.be/ge/en/

The Migrant Health Clinic, located at Hvidovre Hospital, Capital Region aims to give a particularly vulnerable group of patients the same opportunity for investigation and treatment as others. The MHC treats patients with an ethnic minority background who have complex problems.
For more information visit (in Danish): https://www.hvidovrehospital.dk/afdelinger-og-klinikker/Indvandrermedicinsk-klinik/Sider/default.aspx

Course materials

Training and teaching material will continuously be uploaded.

Researchers

Name	Title	Phone	E-mail
Janne Sørensen	Senior Consultant	+4535327288	E-mail
Marie Louise Nørredam	Professor with special responsibilities	+4535327632	E-mail

Funded by

External members:

Name	Institution
Dorien Van den Bossche	Ghent University
Thibault Detremerie	Ghent University
Stéphanie De Maesschalck	Ghent University
Hanne Winther Frederiksen	Migrant Health Clinic (MHC), Capital Region of Denmark
Sandra Ziegler	Heidelberg University Hospital
Steffen Kratochwill	Heidelberg University Hospital
Kayvan Bozorgmehr	Heidelberg University Hospital