Advocacy for Minority

Populations

By: Stephanie Ciarkowski

Introduction and PICOT Question

● When working with the public on a daily basis, nurses see a range of different
sexes, ethnicities, religions, and other beliefs
● These minority populations are at risk of being treated differently due to
personal biases, beliefs, and attitudes of their caregivers
○ This especially applies to nurses because they are with patients the more often than other
healthcare providers and therefore need to be patient advocates

● This prompted my PICOT question; in minority groups, does nursing advocacy

improve patient experiences and effectiveness of care compared to no
advocacy?
LGBTQ Community

● An article written about LGBTQ patients with cancer discusses the barriers of
care due to bias
● This population accounts for 5-10% of the U.S. population and therefore needs
to be properly treated in order to provide culturally competent care
● As nurses, it is necessary to ask every patient at every visit their gender identity
and sexual orientation so that they may be provided proper care
● The focus of this article was to advocate for people of all sexes and genders so
that they may feel safe and comfortable in their healthcare setting
Mental Health

● Mental health is another aspect of minorities, considering that some mental

illnesses cause patients to be unable to advocate for themselves
● A study done in 2019 observed schizophrenic patient readmissions within a
90-day period
○ Nursing advocation for these patients allowed them to reduce complications for this population
○ concluded that a long-acting injectable would be beneficial to keep schizophrenic patients on
their medication regimen
Asian Americans

● A study completed in 2019 discovered that between 2011-2016 the HIV

infection rates increased from 4.9-5.5 per 100,000 people for the Asian
American population
● The researchers based the study around the education of safe sex and
HIV/AIDS prevention in this population in order to decrease the infection rate
● In seeing this study and others alike, the CDC funded the Banyan Tree Project
to reach out to the Asain American community so they may provide education
and awareness about HIV/AIDS
Nursing Accountability and ANA Position

● Nursing is a career field in which accountability is necessary for safe practice

● In the same sense, it is important to act on patients’ behalf even when problems
are caused by nurses themselves
● In a separate article, the ANA stated their position on discrimination in the
healthcare setting
● The ANA describes the different manners that discrimination can be seen as in
relation to demographics, race, and ethnicity
○ Their position statement further describes that they have a zero tolerance policy for
discrimination in nursing practice, research, and/or education
Conclusions

● Though they were very specific, the articles used all prove there are many
different ways to advocate for patients
● Patients need advocated for multiple reasons, but no matter why it is done,
advocation is vital to perform safe and effective patient care
● In caring for minorities, nurses are able to create a comfortable and secure
healthcare experience for all ethnicities, religions, and beliefs
References
ANA Center for Ethics and Human Rights 2018. ANA Position Statement: The Nurse's Role in Addressing Discrimination:
Protecting and Promoting Inclusive Strategies in Practice Settings, Policy, and Advocacy. Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing, 24 (3).
https://web-s-ebscohost-com.setonhill.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=16&sid=177aa99b-2a5b-4f1c-bc8d-36e30
105355b%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8h&AN=138922022

Battie, R. & Steelman, V. (2016). Accountability in Nursing Practice: Why is it Important for Patient Safety. Journal of
Perioperative Nursing in Australia, 29 (4) 11-15.

BoRam, K. & Aronowitz, T. (2019). Invisible Minority: HIV Prevention Health Policy for the Asian American Population.
Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, 20 (1) 41-49. DOI: 10.1177/1527154419828843
journals.sagepub.com/home/ppn

Pirschel, C. (2020). LGBTQ Patients with Cancer: Nursing Considerations to Reduce Barriers to Care. ONS Voice.
https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/lgbtq-patients-with-cancer

Vonderhaar, B. & Snyder, M. (2019). Nursing Advocacy and Long Acting Injectables to Reduce High Readmission Rates:
Quality Initiative. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 26 (4).
https://journals-sagepub-com.setonhill.idm.oclc.org/doi/pdf/10.1177/1078390319865333