Conectar
In this commentary, I consider the disparity between the care we see as a necessity for cancer patients and the lack of care we afford to many persons with chronic disease.
I ground my arguments in my own clinical practice and research experiences over a 50-year period augmented by reference to available literature sources.
In tracing developments within the fields of cancer and chronic illness care, I draw on my own research and that of others.
Although chronic illness has long been recognised as causing the majority of the burden on our health care systems and as a significant source of suffering in our society, it has not attracted the level of enthusiasm from researchers, policy makers, and health care systems that we have seen in the context of other diseases such as cancer. Nurses have an intimate knowledge of the suffering occasioned by chronic illness; however, it has been difficult for nursing to mobilise coordinated action in prioritising a re-balance of health systems to better serve those with chronic conditions.
The advent of medical assistance in dying in Canada has shed a spotlight on the implications of the discrepancy between our prioritising patient need in the care and support of patients with conditions such as cancer, in contrast with the supports and services we make available to those with chronic conditions.
Although nursing intimately engages with the burden of chronic illness, it has not mobilized coherent advocacy toward strengthening our societal commitment to this aspect of our care systems.
There is an opportunity for nursing to make a meaningful difference in a fundamental health care system inequity if we can come to understand that chronic illness is as deserving of our collective research, practice change, and policy attention as is cancer.
No patient or public contribution.
To examine the paradox of representation without power in nursing leadership and to highlight how gendered hierarchies persist in academic, clinical, and policy arenas despite nursing's predominantly female composition.
Existing systems of evaluation and promotion often reproduce inequities by undervaluing relational and collaborative leadership styles—forms of leadership intrinsic to nursing practice. This commentary draws on global and contextual perspectives to advocate for accreditation and institutional metrics that integrate equity indicators and recognize inclusive leadership as a marker of excellence.
Advancing gender equity in leadership is both an ethical and strategic imperative. Embedding equity education and inclusive leadership development within nursing curricula from the earliest stages of professional formation is essential to reshape the future of nursing leadership.
Promoting gender equity in leadership will strengthen nursing's contribution to health systems, enhance organizational resilience, and advance equitable patient care.
FreshRSS 