Inequity and Iatrogenic Harm
Three kinds of health inequity include (1) inequity in access to health care; (2) inequity in the quality of health care services, experiences, and interactions; and (3) inequity in health status. Iatrogenic harms include damage generated by health care services, experiences, and interactions and are not limited to errors. Should neglect by health care organizations and personnel also count as forms of iatrogenic harm to patients and communities? This theme issue considers this question and considers, too, how iatrogenic harm exacerbates inequity and how different kinds of inequity exacerbate iatrogenesis. The health of persons whose embodiment experiences and identities are minoritized along axes of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and comorbidities could very well rely upon what is revealed by deeply interrogating the nature and scope of ethical, clinical, legal, and social relationships between iatrogenic harm and health inequity.