NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare – Step-by-Step Guide With Example Answer
The first step before starting to write the NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare is to understand the requirements of the assignment. The first step is to read the assignment prompt carefully to identify the topic, the length and format requirements. You should go through the rubric provided so that you can understand what is needed to score the maximum points for each part of the assignment.
It is also important to identify the paper’s audience and purpose, as this will help you determine the tone and style to use throughout. You can then create a timeline to help you complete each stage of the paper, such as conducting research, writing the paper, and revising it to avoid last-minute stress before the deadline. After identifying the formatting style to be applied to the paper, such as APA, review its use, including writing citations and referencing the resources used. You should also review the formatting requirements for the title page and headings in the paper, as outlined by Capella University.
How to Research and Prepare for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
The next step in preparing for your paper is to conduct research and identify the best sources to use to support your arguments. Identify a list of keywords related to your topic using various combinations. The first step is to visit the Capella University library and search through its database using the important keywords related to your topic. You can also find books, peer-reviewed articles, and credible sources for your topic from the Capella University Library, PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. Ensure that you select the references that have been published in the last 5 years and go through each to check for credibility. Ensure that you obtain the references in the required format, such as APA, so that you can save time when creating the final reference list.
You can also group the references according to their themes that align with the outline of the paper. Go through each reference for its content and summarize the key concepts, arguments and findings for each source. You can write down your reflections on how each reference connects to the topic you are researching. After the above steps, you can develop a strong thesis that is clear, concise and arguable. Next, create a detailed outline of the paper to help you develop headings and subheadings for the content. Ensure that you plan what point will go into each paragraph.
How to Write the Introduction for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
The introduction of the paper is the most crucial part, as it helps provide the context of your work and determines whether the reader will be interested in reading through to the end. Begin with a hook, which will help capture the reader’s attention. You should contextualize the topic by offering the reader a concise overview of the topic you are writing about so that they may understand its importance. You should state what you aim to achieve with the paper. The last part of the introduction should be your thesis statement, which provides the main argument of the paper.
How to Write the Body for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
The body of the paper helps you to present your arguments and evidence to support your claims. You can use headings and subheadings developed in the paper’s outline to guide you on how to organize the body. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to help the reader know what point you will be discussing in that paragraph. Support your claims using the evidence collected from the research, and ensure that you cite each source properly using in-text citations. You should analyze the evidence presented and explain its significance, as well as how it relates to the thesis statement. You should maintain a logical flow between paragraphs by using transition words and a flow of ideas.
How to Write the In-text Citations for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
In-text citations help readers give credit to the authors of the references they have used in their work. All ideas that have been borrowed from references, any statistics and direct quotes must be referenced properly. The name and date of publication of the paper should be included when writing an in-text citation. For example, in APA, after stating the information, you can put an in-text citation after the end of the sentence, such as (Smith, 2021). If you are quoting directly from a source, include the page number in the citation, for example (Smith, 2021, p. 15). Remember to also include a corresponding reference list at the end of your paper that provides full details of each source cited in your text. An example paragraph highlighting the use of in-text citations is as below:
“The integration of technology in nursing practice has significantly transformed patient care and improved health outcomes. According to Morelli et al. (2024), the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has streamlined communication among healthcare providers, allowing for more coordinated and efficient care delivery. Furthermore, Alawiye (2024) highlights that telehealth services have expanded access to care, particularly for patients in rural areas, thereby reducing barriers to treatment.”
How to Write the Conclusion for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
When writing the conclusion of the paper, start by restating your thesis, which helps remind the reader what your paper is about. Summarize the key points of the paper by restating them. Discuss the implications of your findings and your arguments. Conclude with a call to action that leaves a lasting impression on the reader or offers recommendations.
How to Format the Reference List for NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
The reference helps provide the reader with the complete details of the sources you cited in the paper. The reference list should start with the title “References” on a new page. It should be aligned center and bolded. The references should be organized in an ascending order alphabetically, and each should have a hanging indent. If a source has no author, it should be alphabetized by the title of the work, ignoring any initial articles such as “A,” “An,” or “The.” If you have multiple works by the same author, list them in chronological order, starting with the earliest publication.
Each reference entry should include specific elements depending on the type of source. For books, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the book in italics, the edition (if applicable), and the publisher’s name. For journal articles, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the article (not italicized), the title of the journal in italics, the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses (if applicable), and the page range of the article. For online sources, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or the URL at the end of the reference. An example reference list is as follows:
References
Morelli, S., Daniele, C., D’Avenio, G., Grigioni, M., & Giansanti, D. (2024). Optimizing telehealth: Leveraging Key Performance Indicators for enhanced telehealth and digital healthcare outcomes (Telemechron Study). Healthcare, 12(13), 1319. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12131319
Alawiye, T. (2024). The impact of digital technology on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. E-Health Telecommunication Systems and Networks, 13, 13-22. 10.4236/etsn.2024.132002.
NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare Instructions
In a 3–5 page paper, describe the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and strategies for overcoming bias.
Introduction
This assessment is an opportunity for you to analyze and have a better understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the importance of recognizing unconscious bias and microaggressions in the field of healthcare. Your insights and reflections are valued, so feel free to draw from your own experiences to provide depth to your paper. In addition to the suggested readings, use the Capella library to locate at least two academic peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 3–5 years to support your main points and conclusions.
Write Your Paper
- Describe the evolution of DEI in healthcare and how it is continuing to influence patient care.
- Reflect on how the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion has evolved during your career.
- Discuss any significant changes, initiatives, or policies that have contributed to a more inclusive healthcare environment.
- Explain how unconscious bias leads to microaggressions.
- Discuss how unconscious bias can lead individuals to make assumptions about others based on their appearance or other characteristics associated with their identity.
- Describe the ways in which individuals may not be aware of the biases that influence their perceptions and behaviors.
- Explain how unconscious bias may lead individuals to show preference for those who are perceived as being similar to themselves in terms of race, gender, or other characteristics.
- Discuss how, while often unintended, microaggressions have a negative impact on the individuals who experience them.
- Describe strategies for overcoming bias in healthcare and how they can continue to shape DEI practices in the future.
- Discuss any initiatives or training programs that address unconscious bias and microaggressions, and how they have influenced your practice.
- Explain the importance of diverse workforce and leadership.
- Explain how DEI in healthcare results in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.
- Discuss how healthcare providers are better equipped to understand and respect the cultural beliefs, practices, and preferences of their diverse patient population.
- Describe how an inclusive company allows patients to feel heard, understood, and valued.
Organize your paper using the following structure and headings:
- Title page. (A separate page.)
- Describe the evolution of DEI in healthcare and how it is continuing to influence patient care.
- Explain how unconscious bias leads to microaggressions.
- Describe strategies for overcoming bias in healthcare and how they can continue to shape DEI practices in the future.
- Explain how DEI in healthcare results in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.
- Conclusion. (One paragraph.)
- References. (A separate page.)
Academic Requirements
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
- Length: Include at least 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
- Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Writing: Produce text with minimal grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Sources: Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
- References: Use at least two scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles and three in-text citations within the paper. Visit the Evidence and APA page if needed. Use scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–5 years that relate to your topic. Visit BSN Program Library Research Guide for help with research.
- Academic Honesty: Submit a draft of your assessment to Turnitin and make any necessary changes before you submit it to your instructor for grading.
Example assessment: You may use the Assessment 4 Example [PDF] to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 4: Describe strategies for overcoming biases in healthcare settings.
- Describe the evolution of DEI in healthcare and how it is continuing to influence patient care.
- Explain how unconscious bias leads to microaggressions.
- Describe strategies for overcoming bias in healthcare and how they can continue to shape DEI practices in the future.
- Explain how DEI in healthcare results in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.
- Competency 5: Write for a specific audience, in an appropriate tone and style, in accordance with Capella writing standards.
- Produce text with minimal grammatical, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
- Integrate into text appropriate use of scholarly sources, evidence, and citation style.
NURS-FPX4000 Assessment 4 DEI and Ethics in Healthcare Example
DEI and Ethics in Healthcare
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are critical components of a patient-centered healthcare system aiming to provide quality and culturally competent care to all individuals, families, and community members regardless of their background. According to Arsel et al. (2022), diversity refers to the presence of differences such as race, ethnicity, gender, and age in the healthcare workforce and patient populations, while equity ensures fair access to healthcare resources, opportunities, and treatment outcomes for diverse patient populations.
Inclusion means creating an environment where all individuals feel respected, valued, and heard, especially in care settings (Arsel et al., 2022). Bias in healthcare is one of the This essay describes the evolution of DEI in healthcare and how it has continued to influence patient care, how unconscious bias leads to microaggressions, the strategies for overcoming bias in healthcare, and how they can continue to shape DEI practices in the future, and how DEI in healthcare results in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.
The Evolution of DEI in Healthcare and its Continued Influence on Patient Care
DEI in healthcare has evolved with time to a system that addresses disparities and develops policies and initiatives that ensure the system is more inclusive, influencing patient care in various ways. Initially, there was limited awareness of DEI, and these concepts were not prioritized across the healthcare system. Morrison et al. (2021) note that healthcare systems historically were dominant to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, leading to disparities in care access, treatment, and patient outcomes. However, the healthcare system has evolved over the years, and this is not the current state of DEI in healthcare.
The evolution was spearheaded by policies focusing on generalizing care rather than personalizing it. Policies also pushed cultural competence and the use of culturally competent approaches in care delivery, which played a pivotal role in developing a more inclusive and fair healthcare system. Among the policy changes and legal reforms that considerably influenced the evolution of DEI in healthcare include the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.
The policy aimed to eliminate racial and economic barriers to healthcare access, especially for minority groups and low-income citizens, leading to transformation in equity and fairness in healthcare access. Additionally, there was an increase in the need for healthcare workers to have cultural competency and advocacy by accreditation bodies that pushed the cultural competency requirements that enhanced culturally competent care (Arsel et al., 2022).
Similarly, throughout my career, I have observed a continued embrace of structural and systemic changes in the healthcare system and an increased awareness of the role of DEI in healthcare. Healthcare workers have shifted to maintaining proactive patient-centered care approaches that emphasize cultural competence and equitable care for all. These approaches have contributed to the respect for vulnerable and underserved populations mainly affected by care access disparities. The evolution has impacted patient care by reducing disparities and increasing healthcare services access for all populations, improving patient and organizational outcomes (Morrison et al., 2021). DEI has come a long way, and ongoing efforts still influence its role in patient care and healthcare in general.
Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions
Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, refers to the unintentional, automatic attitudes and stereotypes that influence healthcare providers’ decisions, behaviors, or interactions with their patients or other healthcare providers. According to Sabin (2022), unconscious biases are influenced by personal experiences, societal influences, or cultural norms, and the individual does not often realize they have unconscious bias.
In healthcare, unconscious bias negatively impacts patient care experiences, including leading to microaggressions, indirect, often unintentional, discriminatory comments, behaviors, or actions that reinforce stereotypes or marginalize certain groups. Unconscious bias manifesting as microaggressions in healthcare often creates a hostile, dismissive, and invalidating environment where patient experience and satisfaction are compromised (Sabin, 2022).
There are various ways in which unconscious bias can translate into microaggressions in healthcare. For instance, unconscious gender bias may lead to a microaggression whereby a care provider dismisses women’s pain complaints as emotional or stress-related. Such a microaggression may impact the patient’s care by delaying the diagnosis or even misdiagnosis of a serious condition, leading to poor patient outcomes and satisfaction. In addition, unconscious age bias may lead a nurse to make a statement such as “an elderly person is speaking slowly, hence wasting their time,” a microaggression that can make the patient feel disrespected, affecting their treatment adherence and overall outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to identify and mitigate unconscious bias to prevent microaggressions in healthcare.
Strategies for Overcoming Bias in Healthcare
Various evidence-based strategies for overcoming biases in healthcare exist. These strategies are essential in shaping DEI practices in the future. One of the widely used evidence-based strategies for overcoming bias in healthcare is providing education and training on bias. According to Sabin (2022), implementing implicit bias training for healthcare providers and staff has been found effective in tackling bias since it enables healthcare providers to recognize and challenge their unconscious biases. These trainings can also incorporate microaggression lessons to assist healthcare providers in recognizing and responding to indirect forms of discrimination appropriately. Ongoing education and training will continue to impact DEI by ensuring that healthcare professionals continuously develop self-awareness and cultural competence, leading to more inclusive, fair, and respectful patient interactions.
Another strategy is diversifying the healthcare workforce. A study by Vela et al. (2022) found that one way to address bias in healthcare is to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups to make it more balanced and representative. The strategy involves strengthening mentorship and leadership programs for diverse professionals and supporting programs such as scholarships encouraging minority students to pursue healthcare careers. This strategy will continue to impact DEI by enhancing cultural representation and trust in the healthcare workforce, resulting in better patient-provider relationships and reduced health disparities.
In addition, establishing bias reporting mechanisms within healthcare institutions is a strategy that can allow staff and patients to report discrimination or microaggressions, hence reducing bias. Moreover, healthcare institutions can implement DEI policies through performance reviews and organizational benchmarks using data from the reporting mechanisms. The strategy will continue to impact DEI by ensuring long-term progress in reducing bias and improving cultural competency for all healthcare workers. To implement these strategies successfully, healthcare organizations can develop policies for regular mandatory implicit bias training for all healthcare providers, ensure diversity when hiring new care providers to improve representation and develop a DEI task force to bias reports and recommend policy changes.
Improved Health Outcomes and Increased Patient Satisfaction Resulting from DEI
Maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare considerably impacts patient care. Actively integrating DEI principles into healthcare has been seen to be a driver of better patient care, often resulting in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction. One of the ways in which DEI improves health outcomes is through ensuring equitable access to healthcare services for all. According to El-Galaly et al. (2023), DEI in healthcare helps address health disparities by ensuring equal access to healthcare services for patients from marginalized groups, who often face high rates of chronic diseases, lower life expectancy, and poorer health outcomes.
Through DEI initiatives, these individuals from minority groups who face disparities can access preventive care and disease management, improving their health outcomes. In addition, DEI improves health outcomes by promoting equal provision of targeted policies and initiatives for all populations for early screenings, vaccinations, and health promotion, thus reducing complications and empowering patients to manage their health more effectively, translating to better health outcomes.
Furthermore, DEI in healthcare leads to increased patient satisfaction by driving inclusive, culturally aware communication and relationships between care providers and patients/families. DEI principles help care providers identify and address biases, hence approaching their patients without discrimination (Sabin, 2022). Therefore, they can build trust and rapport with the patients through inclusive practices, improving patient satisfaction. In addition, DEI principles improve patient engagement for patients who feel respected and understood culturally, leading to better patient satisfaction.
Conclusion
DEI in healthcare has evolved from a focus on inadequate awareness of diversity to actively addressing bias and structural inequities. Unconscious bias often leads to microaggressions, impacting patient trust and care quality, as discussed above. Strategies to mitigate bias include training and education, cultural competency programs, and discrimination reporting, shaping future DEI efforts. Integrating DEI principles in healthcare fosters equitable treatment, improves health outcomes, and enhances patient satisfaction by ensuring inclusive, culturally competent, patient-centered care for all populations.
References
Arsel, Z., Crockett, D., & Scott, M. L. (2022). Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the journal of consumer research: A curation and research agenda. Journal of Consumer Research, 48(5), 920–933. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucab057
El-Galaly, T. C., Gaidzik, V. I., Gaman, M. A., Antic, D., Okosun, J., Copland, M., Sexl, V., Fielding, A. K., Doeswijk, R., Parker, H., Dreyling, M., Döhner, K., Almeida, A. M., Macintyre, E., Gribben, J. G., & Grønbæk, K. (2023). A lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical research has a direct impact on patient care. HemaSphere, 7(3), e842. https://doi.org/10.1097/HS9.0000000000000842
Morrison, V., Hauch, R. R., Perez, E., Bates, M., Sepe, P., & Dans, M. (2021). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing: The pathway to excellence framework alignment. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(4), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000494
Sabin J. A. (2022). Tackling implicit bias in health care. The New England Journal of Medicine, 387(2), 105–107. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2201180
Vela, M. B., Erondu, A. I., Smith, N. A., Peek, M. E., Woodruff, J. N., & Chin, M. H. (2022). Eliminating explicit and implicit biases in health care: Evidence and research needs. Annual Review of Public Health, 43, 477–501. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052620-103528