Better Together in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Engaging Diverse Populations to Improve Rehabilitation Outcomes
We need to embrace diversity if we are to build a community that will transform society. This session is the first in a five-part series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a growth opportunity in physical therapy. The focus of this session will be on how to create a culture that uses best practices, tools, and resources to maximize engagement from patients and clients. Conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play, referred to as the social determinants of health, strongly influence an individualÕs health, as does the extent of implicit bias and cultural humility found in our interactions with people from diverse backgrounds and situations. The presenters will explore how these concepts apply to individuals and populations that we connect with in our professional roles. A case vignette illustrating these factors will be utilized to spur small-group discussion and application of concepts that can be implemented immediately across practice settings. Attendees will receive tools to integrate social determinants of health into the plan of care to optimize rehabilitation outcomes. Under the vision of "Better Together," series contributors intend to model how individuals and groups with a range of interests can collaborate on efforts toward DEI.