A critical exploration of nurses' perceptions of access to oncology care among Indigenous peoples: Results of a national survey

Decolonial, intersectional pedagogies in Canadian Nursing and Medical Education

Our intention is to contribute to the development of Canadian Nursing and Medical Education (NursMed) and efforts to redress deepening, intersecting health and social inequities. This paper addresses the following two research questions: (1) What are the ways in which Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies can inform Canadian NursMed Education with a focus on critically examining settler-colonialism, health equity, and social justice? (2) What are the potential struggles and adaptations required to integrate Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies within Canadian NursMed Education in service of redressing intersecting health and social inequities? Briefly, Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies are philosophies of learning that encourage teachers and students to reflect on health through the lenses of settler-colonialism, health equity, and social justice. Drawing on critical ethnographic research methods, we conducted in-depth interviews with 25 faculty members and engaged in participant observation of classrooms in university-based Canadian NursMed Education. The research findings are organized into three major themes, beginning with common institutional features influencing pedagogical approaches. The next set of findings addresses the complex strategies participants apply to integrate Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies. Lastly, the findings illustrate the emotional and spiritual toll some faculty members face when attempting to deliver Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies. We conclude that through the application of Decolonial, Intersectional Pedagogies teachers and students can support movements towards health equity, social justice, and unlearning/undoing settler-colonialism. This study contributes new knowledge to stimulate dialog and action regarding the role of health professions education, specifically Nursing and Medicine as an upstream determinant of health in settler-colonial nations such as Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Access Denied: Nurses' Perspectives of Access to Oncology Care Among Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Inequitable access to oncology care is a significant issue among Indigenous Peoples in Canada; however, the perspectives of oncology nurses have not been explored. Guided by an interpretive descriptive methodology, we explored nurses' perspectives on access to oncology care among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Nurses described the health care system as "broken" and barriers to accessing oncology care as layered and compounding. Lack of culturally safe care was articulated as a significant issue impacting equitable access, while biomedical discourses were pervasive and competed with nurses' attempts at providing culturally safe and trauma- and violence-informed care by discounting the relational work of nurses.

Toward equitable access to oncology care for Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Implications for nursing

As a result of overlapping social, economic, historical, and political influences, and intersecting experiences of racism, stigma and discrimination within healthcare, Indigenous Peoples in Canada experience inequitable access to healthcare and oncology care. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the barriers contributing to inequitable access to oncology care, research examining oncology nurses' perspectives on these barriers and their roles in addressing barriers, and implications for nursing practice. Importantly, the role of nurses is not often considered in relation to healthcare access. By highlighting recent research evidence, I aim to open space to see the valuable work of oncology nurses, and to consider where and how we, as a profession, could better address inequities in access to oncology care for Indigenous Peoples.

Vers un accès équitable aux soins oncologiques pour les peuples autochtones du Canada : implications pour la pratique infirmière

Les peuples autochtones du Canada ne disposent pas d’un accès équitable aux soins de santé et aux soins oncologiques à cause de facteurs sociaux, économiques, historiques et politiques qui se recoupent tous les uns les autres, et auxquels s’ajoutent éventuellement le racisme, les préjugés et la discrimination qu’ils subissent dans le système de santé. Le but du présent article est de faire ressortir certains des obstacles empêchant un accès équitable aux soins oncologiques, de présenter les recherches portant sur ces mêmes obstacles vus selon la perspective des infirmières en oncologie et le rôle qu’elles jouent pour les abolir, et de décrire les implications pour la pratique infirmière. Plus important encore, la question de l’accès aux soins est rarement abordée sous l’angle du rôle des infirmières. Cet article se veut un espace pour souligner le précieux travail des infirmières en oncologie et pour examiner comment et où nous pourrions, comme profession, mieux combattre les inégalités d’accès aux soins oncologiques pour les peuples autochtones.

Equity-Oriented Healthcare: What It Is and Why We Need It in Oncology

Alarming differences exist in cancer outcomes for people most impacted by persistent and widening health and social inequities. People who are socially disadvantaged often have higher cancer-related mortality and are diagnosed with advanced cancers more often than other people. Such outcomes are linked to the compounding effects of stigma, discrimination, and other barriers, which create persistent inequities in access to care at all points in the cancer trajectory, preventing timely diagnosis and treatment, and further widening the health equity gap. In this commentary, we discuss how growing evidence suggests that people who are considered marginalized are not well-served by the cancer care sector and how the design and structure of services can often impose profound barriers to populations considered socially disadvantaged. We highlight equity-oriented healthcare as one strategy that can begin to address inequities in health outcomes and access to care by taking action to transform organizational cultures and approaches to the design and delivery of cancer services.