Introduction
Health equity refers to when every individual has the chance of being as healthy as everyone else. It is the action to guarantee that every population group living in an area has access to the resources that enhance and protect health. Nurses are in the best position in society to ensure that every individual achieves this. However, some things have to be in place to ensure that the nurses have helped. For instance, the lack of diversity in many hospitals has led to numerous individuals not receiving the ideal treatment and care in hospitals (Gomez and Bernet, 2019). For instance, an African American nurse understands the dynamics within their community better than anyone else. The perceptions and other kinds of information available in that society are familiar to them. Using such nurses to help the patients open up more and assist the hospitals in treating them would be great (Collins, 2005). Using the eight-step policy analysis framework, I plan to show how diversifying the workplace can help achieve full health equity.
Definition of Context
The first step is defining the context: American hospitals are filled with more white nurses than people of color, including black or Latino nurses. We must realize that to achieve health equity for every individual, we have to start working in hospitals (Collins, 2005). There are individuals in society who can only open up about their health to fellow people of color. This is not because they are racists or think white nurses are incapable but because they feel better at understanding them. For instance, all nurses working in the hospital have a home and surroundings they are familiar with. They understand their surroundings better than anyone, and when it comes to health matters, they are the most equipped to understand what will work and what cannot. It is thus proper that the United States hospitals improve on diversifying the workplace.
Problem
The second step is sating the problem, which is we are trying to achieve full health equity by encouraging diversity in the workplace. Looking at the current situation, the rate at which people develop chronic conditions is high and continues to rise by the day (Goode & Landefeld, 2018). Diversifying the workplace would ensure that this rate goes down to ensure that everyone lives a healthy life. Let us take the example of cancer which is an illness that is killing many individuals in the twenty-first century (Gomez and Bernet, 2019). The best method of fighting it is early detection through screening that is available to everyone. The black community suffers more from this disease than other people. In addition to early detection, individuals require treatment that they need to follow to ensure a healthy life. Both solutions in fighting cancer require individuals who can speak to certain people and encourage them to care for themselves. Many people in the African American community fail to detect cancer early on because they are not used to having checkups. Having nurses from this community to help them understand the benefits of early detection guarantees their seriousness toward a healthy life.
Evidence
The third step is searching for evidence which means looking for proof about the topic. Studies continue to show that many organizations in the U.S. are making little progress in trying to achieve diversity. Statistics by ethnicity show that approximately sixty-four percent of the workforce are not people of color, while twelve percent, sixteen percent, and five percent are black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals, respectively (Vera, 2020). Many managers in the organizations cite the lack of insight on how plus where to get minority talent. Studies show that this has led many to believe they are not in the safest hands to receive treatment.
Alternative Policy
The fourth step is considering different policy options after collecting evidence on the issue. With every problem, there are always alternatives concerning how to deal with them. Diversifying the workforce in hospitals can help achieve full health equity, but also there are options, for instance, permanent removal of barriers (Goode & Landefeld, 2018). It would be important for patients of the minority to understand that the nurses, regardless of their ethnicity, are there to help and not cause harm. Ensuring that individuals eliminate their wrong perceptions of white nurses would be a great start (Gomez and Bernet, 2019). Even if diversity is achieved fully, there are times when a patient will need urgent care, and the only available nurse is one from a different ethnic group. Also, making the hospitals operate so that patients only want nurses from a certain group to treat them is wrong.
Projected Results
The fifth step is projecting the outcomes, including the benefits to the recommendation’s health sector. Diversifying the workforce in American hospitals would guarantee more minority groups visit the hospitals for checkups and screening to prevent certain illnesses, as indicated in (Ulrich 2021). Going back to the example of cancer, diversifying the workforce would ensure that more people are encouraged to visit health centers for screening. Screening ensures that the illness is detected early and has a higher chance of treating it.
Evaluative Criteria
The sixth step is applying the evaluative criteria, which means assessing the intervention based on five categories. By looking at the projected outcomes of the intervention, it is clear that it contributes to the medical needs of the target group. It is also consistent with policies and priorities, ensuring that more minority groups seek medical assistance (Ulrich, 2021). Also, the actual and projected results are similar, and there is no great difference between them which is a good sign. Another good sign is that the intervention gives a great return even after implementation, which is encouraging. Achieving diversity will ensure a great increase in visits among patients from minority groups, which improves overall health.
Weighing Outcomes and Decision Making
The seventh step is weighing the outcomes because every intervention can lead to different kinds of interventions. It is true that more people of color could be encouraged to visit the hospitals and that the health status in the communities would be improved. However, increasing the number of people of color nurses in hospitals might also lead to many white individuals distrusting the system, which leads to the final step, which is deciding, as suggested by (Collins 2005). It is important before the intervention happens that it is done progressively but not in a rush. Doing the latter would bring question marks to society and scare away patients who may think that the nurses are just hired to achieve diversity but are incapable.
Conclusion
From the paper, we have seen that health equity is when every individual in society can claim that they are living healthily. Nurses are among the healthcare providers in the ideal position to help in achieving this. However, some measures have to be in place to ensure this happens—for example, issues like diversity in the workforce in promoting health equity. In the paper, we have also seen how more patients from minority groups will get encouraged to seek medical attention more often by achieving diversity in the workforce.
References
Collins, T. (2005). Health policy analysis: a simple tool for policymakers. Public health, 119(3), 192-196.
Gomez, L. E., & Bernet, P. (2019). Diversity improves performance and outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(4), 383-392.
Goode, C. A., & Landefeld, T. (2018). The Lack of Diversity in Healthcare. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity, 11(2), 73-95.
Ulrich, B. (2021). The Transformation of Nursing and Health Care-The Stars Have Aligned to Unleash the Power of Nurses. Nephrology Nursing Journal: Journal of the American Nephrology Nurses Association, 48(3), 223-298.
Vera, P. (2020). Diversity Gap in Healthcare Leadership (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).