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Core course for every profession

Dignity, Respect and Non-Discrimination in Healthcare

Equitable Care, Unconscious Bias and the Law on Discrimination

  • 2 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 15-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

Very few health practitioners set out to treat anyone unfairly. Yet patients from many communities, including people with disability, older people, people with mental illness, LGBTIQA+ people, women, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people facing disadvantage, consistently report being dismissed, misunderstood or treated with less care. The causes are usually not malice but time pressure, system design and unconscious bias, and the consequences include missed diagnoses, delayed care and complaints.

This course turns the Code of conduct's requirements on respect and non-discrimination into everyday practice. It explains the Commonwealth and state or territory laws that apply to health services, the difference between direct and indirect discrimination, and what reasonable adjustments look like in a clinic or ward. It then tackles unconscious bias and diagnostic overshadowing head-on, with practical habits you can use in clinical time.

You will work through realistic Australian scenarios across hospitals, general practice, pharmacy, dentistry, allied health, mental health and aged care, and finish with tools to respond well when a patient raises a concern, when a patient discriminates against a colleague, and when you need to speak up. The course also clarifies an important boundary: treating people differently for genuine clinical reasons, such as adjusting a dose for kidney function, is not discrimination, while narrowing options because of a person's age, disability or identity can be.

Written and reviewed by

Written by

Dr Hannah Whitmore PhD, MSc, RN

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Reviewed by (legal reviewer)

Professor James Ellington LLB, LLM, PhD

Healthcare Law, Ethics & Professional Regulation

Reviewed by (editorial team)

Editorial Team Member

Healthcare ethics, professional conduct, patient safety and evidence-based education.

Last reviewed

Our authors and reviewers check course content for accuracy and currency. Completing a course does not guarantee any particular outcome with Ahpra, a National Board, a tribunal or an employer.

Who this course is for

  • All registered health practitioners in Australia, in any profession or setting
  • Practitioners working with people with disability, older people or people with mental illness
  • Practice owners and managers responsible for access, forms, booking systems and complaints
  • Team leaders who want to build a respectful, inclusive culture
  • Practitioners who have received feedback or a complaint about respect or discrimination
  • New graduates and practitioners new to Australia's anti-discrimination framework

What you’ll learn

  • Know the law and the Code

    Apply Commonwealth and state or territory anti-discrimination law and the Code of conduct to everyday clinical decisions.

  • Reduce the effect of bias

    Recognise implicit bias and diagnostic overshadowing and use structured habits to counter them.

  • Make care accessible

    Plan and record reasonable adjustments, book qualified interpreters and use inclusive forms and language.

  • Respond and improve

    Handle discrimination concerns constructively, speak up about colleagues and contribute to inclusive services.

Learning objectives

  • Describe dignity and respect in everyday care and the Code of conduct's requirements on access, discrimination and additional needs.
  • Identify the Commonwealth and state or territory laws that prohibit discrimination in health services and how complaints are made.
  • Distinguish direct and indirect discrimination and make reasonable adjustments for people with disability.
  • Explain how unconscious bias and diagnostic overshadowing affect clinical decisions, and apply strategies to reduce them.
  • Use objective, person-first language in records and conversation.
  • Provide respectful, inclusive care for older people, people with mental illness, LGBTIQA+ people, women and diverse communities.
  • Respond constructively to discrimination concerns, manage discrimination by patients and speak up about colleagues.
  • Contribute to inclusive service design and a respectful team culture.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The wheelchair user and the upstairs room

    Why refusing service without considering adjustments may be unlawful, and what reasonable adjustments look like.

  • Agitation in a person with intellectual disability

    Avoiding diagnostic overshadowing by asking what else could explain a change in behaviour.

  • Jaw pain and a history of anxiety

    How bias can delay recognition of cardiac symptoms in women, and how structured assessment helps.

  • Cervical screening for a trans man

    Using names and pronouns correctly and basing screening on anatomy rather than assumptions.

  • The husband who interprets

    Why qualified interpreters and private time matter for safety, privacy and disclosure.

  • A patient refuses a nurse because of her ethnicity

    Maintaining necessary care while declining prejudiced requests and supporting staff.

Course contents

6 sections, 23 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Dignity and Respect as Professional Obligations4 lessons
    • 1.1 What Dignity Means in Healthcare
    • 1.2 What the Code of Conduct Requires
    • 1.3 How Indignity and Discrimination Happen
    • 1.4 Dignity for People in Vulnerable Situations
  2. Section 2: Anti-Discrimination Law in Healthcare4 lessons
    • 2.1 Commonwealth Anti-Discrimination Law
    • 2.2 State and Territory Laws
    • 2.3 Direct and Indirect Discrimination and Reasonable Adjustments
    • 2.4 Exceptions, Clinical Judgement and Vilification
  3. Section 3: Unconscious Bias and Equitable Clinical Decisions4 lessons
    • 3.1 How Unconscious Bias Works
    • 3.2 Diagnostic Overshadowing and Equitable Assessment
    • 3.3 Language, Labels and Records
    • 3.4 Practical Strategies to Reduce Bias
  4. Section 4: Disability, Age and Mental Health3 lessons
    • 4.1 Accessible Care for People With Disability
    • 4.2 Older People and Ageism
    • 4.3 Mental Illness and Stigma
  5. Section 5: Sex, Gender, Sexuality and Diverse Communities4 lessons
    • 5.1 Respectful Care for LGBTIQA+ People
    • 5.2 Sex, Gender and Women's Health
    • 5.3 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities
    • 5.4 People Facing Social Disadvantage and Stigma
  6. Section 6: Responding to Discrimination and Building Respectful Services4 lessons
    • 6.1 When a Patient Raises a Concern About Discrimination
    • 6.2 When Patients Discriminate or Behave Abusively
    • 6.3 Speaking Up About Colleagues
    • 6.4 Building Inclusive, Respectful Services
  7. Final assessment and written reflection15 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    15 scenario-based questions. You need 12 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 2 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 2 CPD hours of learning
  • Your written reflective account identifying a personal bias risk and a service improvement
  • A one-page respect checklist for each stage of a patient encounter
  • Example rewrites of stigmatising record entries into objective, person-first language

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Is this course recognised by Ahpra or a National Board?

No. This course is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra or any National Board, which do not assess CPD courses of this kind. It is independent education aligned with the Code of conduct. Record the actual time you spend against your CPD plan and decide whether it fits your learning goals. If you have a condition or undertaking on your registration, check with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or insurer, before relying on any course.

Which discrimination laws apply to health practitioners in Australia?

The Racial, Sex, Disability and Age Discrimination Acts at Commonwealth level, plus the anti-discrimination or equal opportunity Act in your state or territory, which often protects additional attributes. The Code of conduct adds a professional obligation not to discriminate on grounds irrelevant to healthcare.

What is indirect discrimination in a health service?

A rule or practice that applies to everyone but unreasonably disadvantages people with a protected attribute, such as online-only English forms or inflexible cancellation fees for people whose disability causes unpredictable absences.

What are reasonable adjustments?

Changes that let a person with disability use a service on equal terms, such as longer appointments, Auslan interpreters, accessible equipment or easy-read information, unless they would cause unjustifiable hardship.

Does the course cover workplace bullying and the positive duty?

Only briefly. This course focuses on how patients are treated. Workplace bullying, harassment and the employer positive duty are covered in depth in a separate course on respectful workplaces.

What should I do if a patient tells me they were discriminated against?

Listen without defending, acknowledge their experience, apologise for how they were made to feel, explain what you will do and follow up. Then review honestly what happened, focusing on impact rather than intention, and make sure the concern does not affect their ongoing care. The course walks through a full example and explains the external complaint pathways patients can use.

Will this help with my team's culture as well as individual practice?

Yes. The final section covers inclusive service design, including access, interpreters, inclusive forms, suitable equipment, feedback and data, and how to speak up when colleagues fall short. It is suitable for team discussion as well as individual learning.

How long does the course take?

About 2 hours, including reading, case illustrations, reflection, a written reflective account and a 15-question scenario-based assessment with an 80% pass mark.

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