Curated Resources for Health Equity for Marginalized Groups in Canada
Introduction:
As an MLT in Ontario, it is important to realize that health outcomes are not the result of test results alone, but are also the result of social, historical, and structural factors. Marginalized populations in Canada, such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities, immigrants, and those with lower socio-economic status, face systemic barriers that impact health, access to health care, and the way test results are interpreted and used. These resources, including peer-reviewed articles, government reports, and professional guidelines, will help me practice in a culturally safe, equity-focused way by linking my day-to-day practice in the lab to the social determinants of health, systemic equity, and ethical patient-centred care.
Scholarly References:
1. Understanding Indigenous Health Inequalities
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada / National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health. (2022). Understanding Indigenous health inequalities through a social determinants of health lens. https://www.nccih.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/10373/Health_Inequalities_EN_Web_2022-04-26.pdf
Annotation:
This paper provides a good framework for considering how social determinants and structural factors influence the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is also a good reminder to link the dots between what I see in the lab with the world outside, in terms of access to care, housing, colonial policies and racism, and how those things can affect the results I interpret, and the health outcomes that follow.
2. Health Inequalities among Racialized Adults in Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022, July 7). Inequalities in health of racialized adults in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/science-research-data/inequalities-health-racialized-adults-18-plus-canada.html
Annotation:
This article illustrates how factors such as housing, employment, and access to care can impact health outcomes for racialized adults in Canada, and this report helps me connect the social context to what I might see in the lab, including how these conditions can impact laboratory markers and their interpretation.
3. Discrimination in Ontario Health Care: A Scoping Review
Drazenovich, G. (2025). Discrimination in Health Care: A Scoping Review of the Ontario Experience. HHR Journal, 27(1), 27-41. https://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/06/13/discrimination-in-health-care-a-scoping-review-of-the-ontario-experience/
Annotation:
This scoping review is highly relevant to my work. It highlights the widespread and insidious nature of systemic discrimination across the health system in Ontario, and disproportionately so in marginalized populations. It also underscores my understanding of how bias affects clinical interactions and subsequently laboratory workflows, result interpretation and patient outcomes.
4. Social and Economic Influences on Disparities among Racial and Ethnic Group Canadian Immigrants
Lacey, K. K., Briggs, A. Q., & Park, J. (2021). Social and economic influences on disparities in the health of racial and ethnic group Canadian immigrants. Canadian Public Health Association. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8076413/
Annotation:
This study uses national survey data to show how social, economic, and migratory factors contribute to health disparities. It helps me interpret lab data in the context of long-term structural conditions.
5. Experiences of Everyday Racism in Toronto’s Health Care System
Mahabir, D. F., O’Campo, P., Lofters, A., Shankardass, K., Salmon, C., et al. (2021). Experiences of everyday racism in Toronto’s health care system: A concept mapping study. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20, 74. https://equityhealthj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12939-021-01410-9
Annotation:
This study documents racialized patients’ experiences of discrimination in healthcare. It informs my practice by highlighting factors that can affect patient outcomes and lab result interpretation.
6. The Challenge of Exposing and Ending Health Inequities in Canada
Borras, A. M. (2023). The challenge of exposing and ending health inequities in Canada: class, race/ethnicity and gender. Canadian Journal of Public Health. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27551938221148376
Annotation:
This article addresses how class, race, ethnicity and gender intersect to produce health inequities in Canada and critiques the limitations of current frameworks. I have found this paper helpful in bringing equity and cultural awareness into the lab practice, and it offers a useful perspective to consider results in the social context of patients.
7. Access to Justice as a Social Determinant of Health
Jassar, S. (2021). Access to Justice as a Social Determinant of Health: The Basis for Reducing Health Disparity and Advancing Health Equity of Marginalized Communities in Canada. Windsor Yearly Access Journal, 37. https://wyaj.uwindsor.ca/index.php/wyaj/article/view/7283/5416
Annotation:
This article illustrate how legal barriers and unmet legal needs can perpetuate health inequities, especially for marginalized populations in Canada. Every time I read this article it reminds me to consider legal systems and rights-based access in how I consider health outcomes and equity in my practice.
Government and Regulatory Bodies:
1. Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequalities
Government of Canada. (2024). Social determinants of health and health inequalities. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html
Annotation:
This source lists the main social determinants of health, including income, education, housing and culture, which is useful for thinking about what may be driving the results seen on the lab values pages. Therefore, it helps me interpret the results in the context of what is going on in the life of the individual, and the systemic inequities that shape his or her health.
2. Race-Based and Indigenous Identity Data Supplementary Report
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2020). Race-based and Indigenous identity data: A supplementary report. https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/race-based-and-indigenous-identity-data-supplementary-report-en.pdf
Annotation:
This report explains Canada’s approach to collecting race and Indigenous identity data in healthcare. Understanding this enhances my ability to analyze laboratory data while supporting equitable care.
Professional and Agency Reports
1. Barriers and Strategies to Equity in Digital Health Programs
Public Health Ontario Library Services. (2023). Barriers and Strategies to Equity in Digital Health Programs/Services. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/E/2023/eb-barriers-strategies-equity-digital-health-programs-services.pdf
Annotation:
This report highlights real barriers to digital health for many people, and especially for vulnerable populations. This makes me think about equity more critically when I am involved in the planning and delivery of lab and diagnostic services, such as internet access, digital literacy, language, and privacy, so that services are equitable and accessible to all.
Summary:
Together these references are a good starting point to understand health equity of marginalized populations in Canada. Each reference contains the same underlying message: social determinants and systemic inequities inform the data we receive in the lab, and by remembering this, I am able to practice in a culturally safe and evidence-based manner. This approach guides how I interpret diagnostic results, so that I can provide more equitable and patient-centred care, and it also supports my professional development as an MLT.