IGTP, AQuAS and eight research institutes publish a guide for inclusive communication in health research

• The guide promotes the adoption and acceptance of a language that favors the visibility, equality and representativeness of all people in the field of health research and that avoids those situations in which the language may contain vocabulary or forms that make invisible or discriminate against people, or reproduce traditional stereotypes
• It offers practical recommendations for gender inclusive language in its oral, written and visual forms

The Agency of Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) of the Department of Health and nine research institutions in Catalonia have drawn up the guide Recommendations for inclusive communication in health research, to promote the inclusion of a language that promotes the visibility, equality and representativeness of all people and avoid those situations in which the language may contain vocabulary or forms that make them invisible or discriminate.

This instrument - which has been prepared in both Catalan and English - contains recommendations applicable to written, oral and visual communication to be a support tool for inclusive communication in health research institutions, complementary to the language guides official and in the style manuals of the institutions.

Inclusive communication is essential to ensure that all people feel represented and valued. While recognizing this need, the guide contains examples and strategies of preferred uses and non-recommended uses, to show their practical application and with the intention of providing resources and awareness and contributing to the full, respectful and non-discriminatory inclusion of any col· school and diversity. For this reason, as its authors explain, the document not only includes examples of gender treatment, but also of other diversities, such as the communicative treatment of disabilities, diseases and cultural groups.

At the same time, an infographic with the key messages has also been presented in order to offer a more accessible resource. Both documents are addressed to both the scientific and administrative staff of these institutions, as well as their managements, research system staff, journalists and other interested persons, in order to offer them simple and direct recommendations in a visual way to explain and disseminate research in an inclusive way, as well as specific advice in different formats and in two languages.

These publications have been prepared in the framework of the Hypatia Community, which works for the updating of management policies and practices, the elimination of unconscious bias and the promotion of cultural change and the incorporation of the perspective of sex and gender in research. Specifically, for this initiative, a working group has been created coordinated by AQuAS and integrated by professionals from Institute for Biomedical Research of Girona (IDIBGI), Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), IRB Barcelona, Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IIB- Sant Pau), Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT) and Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). The guide has also benefited from the linguistic advice of the Department of Health's Language Planning Service. The graphic design of these materials has been carried out by the social communication agency La Sembra.