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. 2020 Nov;52(6):696-704.
doi: 10.1111/jnu.12602. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

Achieving Health Equity Through Eradicating Structural Racism in the United States: A Call to Action for Nursing Leadership

Deena Nardi  1 , Roberta Waite  2 , Marian Nowak  3 , Barbara Hatcher  4 , Vicki Hines-Martin  5 , Jeanne-Marie R Stacciarini  6
Affiliations

Achieving Health Equity Through Eradicating Structural Racism in the United States: A Call to Action for Nursing Leadership

Deena Nardi et al. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: To advocate for strategic actions by U.S. nursing leadership that denote the presence, customs, and implications of racism that has been institutionalized within the structures of U.S. nursing leadership and the profession.

Organizing constructs: A racial equity framework is used to examine the barriers to quality health care and equitable health outcomes and to present evidence-based actions to dismantle structural inequities embedded in the nursing profession.

Methods: This article was developed through a comprehensive literature review and synthesis of relevant research, data, peer-reviewed literature, government reports, and organizational guidelines.

Findings: A commitment by U.S. nursing leadership to eradicate structural racism in nursing must be made in order to effect sustainable transformative change toward more equitable systems of health care.

Conclusions: This article presents recommendations for nursing leadership in the United States to renew its commitment to quality health care through dismantling structural racism at all levels of direct and systems nursing practice and education, at the bedside, and in the boardrooms.

Clinical relevance: Structural racism in nursing and health care also persists globally as a key social determinant of health. Its elimination aligns with international health care and nursing's policy priorities, yet change can only occur when senior leaders clearly understand it as a key barrier to health, and commit to transformative change in how their "systems" work. These recommendations can also be culturally adapted by global nursing for use in antiracism work.

Keywords: Health disparities; health inequities; racism in nursing; social determinants of health; structural racism.

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References

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    1. American Academy of Nursing. (n.d.). 2017-2020 strategic plan: American Academy of Nursing. Retrieved from https://www.aannet.org/about/strategic-plan-2017-20
    1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2015, March 16). Enhancing diversity in the nursing workforce fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/Enhancing-Diver...
    1. The Aspen Institute. (2016, July 11). Glossary for understanding the dismantling structural racism/promoting racial equity analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ywcan ashvi lle.com/wp-conte nt/uploa ds/sites/ 29/Aspen-Insti tute-Gloss ary-21-Day-Chall enge-Nashv ille.pdf
    1. Beard, K., & Julion, W. (2016). Does race still matter in nursing? The narratives of African-American nursing faculty members. Nursing Outlook, 64(6), 583-596.

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