Characterizing Organizational Health Equity Capacity Assessments for Public Health Organizations: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective: Organizational health equity capacity assessments (OCAs) provide a valuable starting point to understand and strengthen an organization’s readiness and capacity for health equity. We conducted a scoping review to identify and characterize existing OCAs. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases and practitioner websites to identify peer-reviewed and gray literature articles and tools that measure or assess health equity–related capacity in public health organizations. Seventeen OCAs met the inclusion criteria. We organized primary OCA characteristics and implementation evidence and described them thematically according to key categories. Results: All identified OCAs assessed organizational readiness or capacity for health equity, and many aimed to guide health equity capacity development. The OCAs differed in regard to thematic focus, structure, and intended audience. Implementation evidence was limited. Conclusions: By providing a synthesis of OCAs, these findings can assist public health organizations in selecting and implementing OCAs to assess, strengthen, and monitor their internal organizational capacity for health equity. This synthesis also fills a knowledge gap for those who may be considering developing similar tools in the future.