Abstract
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are essential for healthcare organizations since they allow for the development of programs and initiatives that bring together diverse perspectives and knowledge. Global multidisciplinary organizations, such as the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), need to understand the perspective of their members regarding EDI to identify opportunities to enhance diversity and inclusiveness and to better meet the needs of members from different backgrounds and resources. The MASCC Health Disparities Committee designed a survey to identify issues related to disparities faced by MASCC members when providing supportive care to patients with cancer and to examine the EDI landscape within the organization. Here, we report results related to EDI initiatives within the organization. Two-hundred and eighteen MASCC members responded to the survey (response rate 10.2%). The results indicated that respondents were generally satisfied with how MASCC manages leadership, membership, and organization-related EDI issues. Opportunities for improvement noted by respondents included developing strategies to foster a more diverse membership, improving communication regarding diversity in the organization, and increasing EDI content in educational sessions and publications. The results of this survey represent the first attempt at understanding how to improve EDI within MASCC and will be utilized to guide further initiatives and programs.
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All authors made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work and the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data. ESPC drafted the work. All authors revised it critically for important intellectual content; approved the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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Approval for this study was obtained from the University of California Irvine Internal Review Board. Due to its minimal risk, informed consent was waived. The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Soto-Perez-de-Celis, E., Ke, Y., Tanay, M. et al. Equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer: a global membership survey. Support Care Cancer 32, 205 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08416-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08416-3