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Over the past 50 years, there have been many advances in science, technology, and healthcare, but not everyone has benefited from these advances. Underserved and underrepresented groups have historically experienced significant disparities. The continued growth in health inequities cannot continue to be ignored. We know some things are not working, and change is needed to improve health and healthcare, especially for marginalized populations.
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Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing is a timely discourse on the importance of nursing in addressing health equity and the complex structures and systems that drive inequities in healthcare. The authors explore how nurses can work to reduce health disparities, promote equity, and address structural racism.
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Nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the goal of health equity and addressing structural racism, but they need robust education, supportive work environments, and autonomy. Nursing is well positioned to provide leadership in health equity and to build models of inclusion that allow providers, communities, and policymakers to come together to design actionable solutions.
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This book explores the possibilities of creating pathways to empower nurses to be leaders in our communities and across the healthcare profession in the US and globally. It highlights the importance of bringing individuals together in a way that differences can be respected and serve as a catalyst for collaboration. Nurses are innovative and entrepreneurial. The profession is uniquely positioned to bring new technology, design thinking, and developments to healthcare to improve disparities and health equity.
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The nursing profession can be a pivotal agent for change that promotes teaching, practice, advocacy, and collaboration in an environment of involvement, respect, and connection. It is critical that we find ways to identify shared ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives that create mutual benefit regardless of our social, political, or demographic differences. Nurses must demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of diverse populations and cultures to provide high-quality care across settings.
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To overcome health equity challenges, there must be commitment from leadership at all levels of the healthcare system to promote diversity and inclusion as a part of the business model. Collaboration across all healthcare professions is key in developing an interprofessional team approach that puts the patient first, embracing cultural and social needs as well as physical and mental-health needs.
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Taking Action presents a comprehensive discussion on the importance of global stewardship for the nursing profession. It also proposes a multisector approach to strengthen healthcare systems and the voice of nursing globally. This transformational book brilliantly outlines a vast array of inequities in health and opportunities for innovation and novel solutions.
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–Rear Admiral (Ret.) Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth