Diversity and inclusiveness in healthcare
UMC Utrecht strives to be a home where patients feel recognized and acknowledged. Factors like gender, cultural or social background, personality, ideology, work capacity or age may not stand in the way. In 2023, we deployed various activities to further increase diversity and inclusiveness in our care.
Awareness-training section, Obstetrics
In 2023 the entire Obstetrics team at Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) followed the de training course ‘Become aware of your own bias’. Nurses and midwives as well as gynecologists and doctors who are training to become gynecologists took part in the training. They learned for instance about their own biases and how these could impact the healthcare that they provide. And through case-studies and discussions with experience experts on exclusion, they talk about how they can make certain situations in their work more inclusive. Participants also receive tools to know how to act as an ‘active bystander’ if they see something untoward happening. Through further discussions in the section and follow-up actions the section ensures that the healthcare and ambiance in the section keeps getting more inclusive.
Based on this series of training courses, we are now developing Awareness training for all healthcare staff at UMC Utrecht. This training will be ready by the end of 2024.
Masterclasses diversiteit & inclusie WKZ
At the end of 2023 a large proportion of our colleagues in the Child division of Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) followed a master class on diversity and inclusion. In these interdisciplinary master classes, employees become familiar with the topic of diversity and inclusiveness, what biases are, and how these biases can influence healthcare. Participants spoke about their own biases and discussed specific cases and possible solutions to make their healthcare and division more inclusive.
