Operationalizing the Quintuple Aim of Health System Improvement Through Equity-Oriented Health Care

Health systems in Canada and elsewhere are reeling from ongoing syndemic shocks and mounting political-economic concerns that are having significant negative impacts on health equity, and on staff recruitment, wellbeing, and retention. Pressures to privatize delivery of publicly funded healthcare services in Canada are mounting, posing an additional risk to equity in access and outcomes, especially for those least well-served by current systems. This paper examines existing approaches to health system improvement and their alignment with the quintuple aim of enhancing patient experiences and outcomes, service and system efficiency, provider well-being, and health equity. Quality improvement efforts derived from private sector models such as Lean and Six Sigma have been shown, in the Canadian context and elsewhere, to add costs and negatively impact key aims such as provider well-being and patient experiences of care, though they can improve process-specific aspects of care, especially when an integrated team approach is applied in properly resourced contexts. Models that treat equity as an add-on to Lean/Six Sigma-based approaches have not been well-tested. Equity-oriented health care (EOHC) provides a promising alternative for health system improvement aligned with the quintuple aim, and is positioned as an emerging, innovative way to mitigate mounting system pressures, enhance health service effectiveness, and improve population health.