120 Addressing racism in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities in Germany – results of the RiGeV project

Abstract PTH 5: Exclusion and Discrimination, B307 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 15:15 - 16:09 Racism has been recognized as a social determinant of health. An evolving concern of research and policy-making has been the impact of racism on barriers to access and quality of inpatient healthcare, while more recent studies uncover the experiences of patients facing racism in these settings. To effectively dismantle racism, it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of how institutions within inpatient healthcare address this issue. Aim The goal of the project was to gain empirical insights into racism in clinical care and to develop recommendations for policy and practice that to be disseminated in healthcare institutions in Germany. Methods As part of the joint project on racism in healthcare (RiGeV), supported by funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, multiperspective quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted, including 22 episodic interviews with racialized patients and 20 problem-centred interviews healthcare staff, quantitative surveys of patients as well as in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and 10 reflexive expert interviews with their managerial personnel. Results The findings indicate that although a majority of healthcare institutions do not recognize racism as a systematic issue, healthcare professionals have highlighted a clear need for environments that support reflection and dialogue. Initiatives spearheaded by hospital leadership offer promising starting points for organizational change and learning aimed at critically addressing and combating racism. Conclusions Recommendations for policy and practice underscore the necessity of developing a mission statement that advocates for non-discriminatory treatment and ensures the safety of both patients and staff. Within an organizational environment that fosters racism-critical reflection and learning, it is crucial to enforce sanctions against racist behaviour in healthcare institutions and incorporate the topic of racism into the training and ongoing education programs for physicians and healthcare professionals.