BACKGROUND:
Health systems in various countries face increasing diversity among both patient populations and healthcare workforces. While diversity, equity and inclusion are widely discussed as normative goals, they are rarely embedded as a strategic management responsibility within healthcare organizations. Beyond ethical and political considerations, it remains insufficiently understood whether and under which conditions diversity, equity and inclusion strategies generate organizational value.1 Within the HUMAN-LS project (“Health Equality, Migration and Diversity”), this subproject examines how diversity, equity and inclusion can be integrated into governance, leadership, and organizational development in hospitals and long-term care facilities.

METHODS:
A mixed-methods approach is applied. A scoping review and policy analysis examine international evidence on diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in healthcare, including reported organizational outcomes. In addition, international case studies are conducted in North America (United States and Canada) and Scandinavia using triangulated methods, including document analysis, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, and on-site field visits. The analytical framework is based on the St. Gallen Management Model, enabling analysis at micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (system and policy) levels.2 Findings are compared with quantitative survey data from hospitals and care facilities in Lower Saxony, Germany.

RESULTS:
At the time of the congress, results from the scoping review, international case studies, and qualitative interviews will be available. Preliminary findings identify organizational conditions under which diversity, equity and inclusion are perceived as strategically meaningful. Early evidence suggests potential benefits for staff retention, team climate, organizational learning, and perceived quality of care, while also highlighting implementation challenges and contextual constraints.3 Cross-country comparisons enable differentiation between transferable mechanisms and context-specific trade-offs.

CONCLUSIONS:
Diversity, equity and inclusion can represent a strategic asset for healthcare organizations when embedded in leadership and governance processes. International experiences provide evidence-informed insights to support practice-oriented guidelines and policy recommendations for healthcare institutions.