The Relationship Between Healthcare Organizational Magnet® Status and Scores on the Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index: A Comparative Temporal Analysis

Abstract

The Human Rights Campaign's annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) evaluates participating organizations' (n = 906) treatment of LGBTQ+ employees and clients. Higher HEI scores reflect greater equitable treatment of LGBTQ+ persons, a mark of merit for the organization. The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes nursing excellence in healthcare organization by designating them Magnet® institutions (n = 612). Blackwell and colleagues showed a significant relationship between organizational HEI scores and recognition as Magnet®. The purpose of this study was to determine if this relationship changed between 2018 and 2022. Chi-square tests analyzed statistical relationships between aggregate HEI score as well as each sub-criterion within the HEI, and the organization's Magnet® status. HEI score and Magnet® status-maintained association (p = <.001). Three of four individual scoring criteria were also related to Magnet® recognition, an improvement from just one of the criteria in 2018. Organizations with greater commitment to LGBTQ+ equality continue to be associated with Magnet® recognition, suggesting a continued commitment to healthcare excellence. Future research should focus analysis efforts across the same organizations between HEI and Magnet® data collection points and assess LGBTQ+-inclusive care and employment practices and organizational nursing excellence with tools external to the HEI and Magnet® recognition.

Keywords:

• Discrimination
• healthcare equality index
• LGBTQ+
• nursing
• magnet
• social work

Acknowledgments

Certain data used for this research have been provided by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) and used with permission. Future requests for the data should be directed to HRCF. The authors would like to extend gratitude to HRCF for its collaboration and partnership on this project.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher W. Blackwell

Christopher W. Blackwell, Ph.D., APRN, ANP-BC, AGACNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN, is Associate Professor and Director of the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs in the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. His scholarship focuses on LGBTQ+ health.

Humberto Lopez Castillo

Humberto Lopez Castillo, MD, Ph.D., CPH, CMI-Spanish, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Health Professions and Sciences at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. His scholarship focuses on health and wellness among men who have sex with men, sexual and reproductive health, secondary data analyses, and cardiovascular health of sexual minorities.

Anthony Roque

Anthony Roque, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner within the Orlando Health System and graduate of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando.

Yi Liu

Yi Liu, Ph.D., is a research statistician in the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. Her scholarship focuses on medical research and analyses of large datasets.

Andrew Todd

Andrew Todd, MLIS, RN, is a Reference Librarian with the University of Central Florida Libraries. He serves as the Subject Librarian for the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando.