Equitable genomics in healthcare
A scoping review explores nursing strategies to address health disparities in genomics-informed care
Genomics – the study of all genes in a person’s DNA - has improved healthcare across the globe through better prevention, diagnostics, and treatment for people living with a variety of common conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. But despite these advancements holding great promise, they have also highlighted growing health disparities.
Access to genomic-informed interventions, like genetic testing and screening programs, are not available across all countries. Barriers like living in lower socioeconomic status or rural and remote communities, or experiencing racial discrimination, only exacerbate these disparities, raising a vast range of ethical, legal, and social concerns.
In a 2022 report, the World Health Organization called for increased advocacy, funding, infrastructure, and professional training to support equitable access to genomics. Nurses, who work at the forefront of healthcare systems, are in a unique position to address these health disparities through their roles in clinical care, research, education, policy, and leadership. With social justice and equity being a core professional nursing value, nurses can play an important role in bridging these gaps.
To better understand the strategies that support the safe and equitable integration of genomics to address health disparities, a new scoping review aims to map the available evidence worldwide on strategies that nurses can employ to facilitate genomics-informed healthcare to address health disparities.
By addressing structural barriers and fostering equity, nurses can help ensure that the integration of genomics into health care is one that improves health outcomes, without widening existing disparities.
Nursing strategies to address health disparities in genomics-informed care: a scoping review
Limoges, Jacqueline; Chiu, Patrick; Dordunoo, Dzifa; Puddester, Rebecca; Pike, April; Wonsiak, Tessa; Zakher, Bernadette; Carlsson, Lindsay; Mussell, Jessica K.
JBI Evidence Synthesis 22(11):p 2267-2312, November 2024. | DOI: 10.11124/JBIES-24-00009