What role should APRNs play in addressing health disparities?
Research shows that restrictive Scope of Practice regulations, contrasting reimbursement policies, lack of diversity in nursing workforce, organizational structures and work contexts in employment settings for NPs may challenge the maximum contributions of NPs in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. These challenges should be the focus of policymakers, administrators, and clinicians so that these matters can be addressed (Poghosyan & Carthon, 2017).
Transformational leadership is needed by APRNs so that there is a goal in mind, open-mindedness towards new ways of doing things, and understanding of the cost of maintaining the status quo. APRNs should be working with their fellow medical care team members, patients, and communities to understand and incorporate how to better help their patients obtain good health.
What impact does implicit bias have in addressing health disparities?
Studies show that physicians and nurses do have implicit bias issues especially regarding race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, age, mental illness, weight, having AIDS, patients with brain injury who are perceived to have contributed to their injury, IV drug users, disability, and social circumstances (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Healthy People 2020 identified that race/ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic location all play a role in health disparities (Disparities | Healthy People 2020, n.d.). The implicit bias of doctors and nurses match up with the health disparities. It is important for healthcare providers to be aware of their implicit bias so they can be intentional to not allow it to effect the patients they treat and contribute to health disparities.
References
Disparities | Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). HealthyPeople.Gov. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Disparities
FitzGerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review.BMC Medical Ethics,18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8
Poghosyan, L., & Carthon, J. M. B. (2017). The untapped potential of the nurse practitioner workforce in reducing health disparities.Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice,18(2), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154417721189