Nursing Schools Face Challenges in Equitably Representing Diverse Patient Care in Textbooks & Open Resources
A new analysis reveals both traditional nursing textbooks and freely available Open Educational Resources (OER) fall short in accurately and comprehensively portraying care for diverse patient populations, potentially contributing to biased instruction and poorer health outcomes. The study, examining materials published as 2016, underscores a critical need for educators to meticulously evaluate curricular resources and proactively supplement gaps in coverage.
Nursing programs nationwide are under increasing pressure to prepare graduates for a rapidly diversifying patient base. However,this research indicates that commonly used learning materials often contain outdated terminology,insufficient depiction,and ultimately,perpetuate biases that can negatively impact the quality of care provided to marginalized communities. The findings highlight a significant challenge for nursing education: ensuring students receive the knowledge and sensitivity required to deliver truly inclusive and equitable healthcare.
The discursive paper, published recently, systematically compared textbooks and OER utilized in nursing curricula. Researchers utilized databases including CINAHL, EBSCOHost, and PubMed to gather data, focusing on publications from 2016 onward. The evaluation centered on the overall representation of diverse populations within these resources.
Results indicated that while both textbooks and OER offer distinct advantages, neither consistently provides adequate coverage of diverse patient care. A recurring issue identified was the misuse of terminology and a general lack of inclusive representation throughout the materials. The study emphasizes that reliance on outdated information introduces bias into nursing education,potentially leading to adverse patient outcomes.
The analysis concludes that no single resource currently excels in representing diverse populations. A promising solution lies in a blended approach, integrating content from both textbooks and OER to mitigate the limitations inherent in each. crucially, the paper stresses the obligation of educators to critically assess resources for accuracy and proactively address any identified deficiencies to ensure students are fully prepared to provide culturally competent and inclusive care.
Keywords: Curricular resources; diversity; Nursing education; Patient outcomes.
