Dzifa Dordunoo, Jacqueline Limoges, Patrick Chiu, Rebecca Puddester, Lindsay Carlsson, April Pike
Abstract
The objective of this scoping review is to map the available evidence on strategies that nurses can use to facilitate genomics-informed healthcare to address health disparities.
Introduction
Genomics is the study of genes within the genome to better understand how they interact with each other, the environment, and other psychosocial and cultural factors [1]. The promise of health and social improvements from genomic technologies has generated considerable enthusiasm and is revolutionizing health care across the healthcare continuum [2]. Advancements in genomics have also enabled precision health, which integrates genomic data with other relevant sources of information such as environmental, behavioral, and biological data to generate targeted healthcare strategies [3]. The diagnosis of rare diseases has improved, enabling tailored management and treatment options, and supporting preventive measures for individuals at-risk for genetic conditions.
Materials and method
We will conduct this scoping review in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews [47]. This methodology is based on Arksey and O’Malley’s [48] initial framework which has been further enhanced by Levac et al. [49] and Peters et al. [47]. The review will be organized into six stages: 1) identifying the research question and aligning it with the review objectives; 2) identifying relevant studies using a inclusion and exclusion criteria that is aligned with the research objective and questions; 3) selecting relevant studies using a planned approach to evidence searching, selection, data extraction, and the presentation of evidence; 4) charting the data using both descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis; 5) consulting an advisory committee; and 6) collating, summarizing, and reporting the evidence.
Discussion
Health equity is an essential component of the quintuple aim of health care alongside enhanced patient and provider satisfaction, population health outcomes, and cost-effectiveness [52]. Genomics will continue to transform health care and improve population health; thus the introduction of new technologies should equally benefit all peoples and groups within society. As the largest portion of the health workforce, nurses can play a leading role in identifying health disparities and require evidence-informed practices to engage in collaborative interdisciplinary care that promotes equity. Our review will enable the nursing workforce to understand the nature, extent, and range of nursing strategies that already exist to address health disparities within the context of genomics-informed care and will identify gaps that need to be addressed through policy and practice development. Given our broad geographical focus, findings from the review will enable us to explore the different contexts in which strategies have been implemented and/or evaluated, and the considerations required to adopt them in diverse settings.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge Jessica Mussell for her assistance in developing the search strategy.
Citation: Dordunoo D, Limoges J, Chiu P, Puddester R, Carlsson L, Pike A (2023) Genomics-informed nursing strategies and health equity: A scoping review protocol. PLoS ONE 18(12): e0295914. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295914
Editor: Muhammad Shahzad Aslam, Xiamen University - Malaysia Campus: Xiamen University - Malaysia, MALAYSIA
Received: June 27, 2023; Accepted: November 29, 2023; Published: December 15, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Dordunoo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
Funding: Knowledge Synthesis Grant # 8772-2022-1032: Shifting Dynamics of Privilege and Marginalization, funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Genome Canada and Genome Alberta, held by Limoges (Nominated Principal Application).
Competing interests: The authors have declared no competing interests exist.
Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295914#ack
