Social Justice In Nursing Essay

According to the World Health Organization, health is considered a fundamental human right of every human being. However, as time has passed, the gap between health status or the lack thereof has widened between the marginalized and the privileged (Giddings, 2005). Social justice is an important element to incorporate in the nursing profession, as it is a key link to providing holistic health care not only for the patient, but also for the community and globally. Social justice is defined as equal distribution of resources and responsibilities, including wealth, opportunities and privileges in society. It also includes the social position of one group in relation to others and looks into the root causes of disparities as well as steps that are taken to alleviate them (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009). When applied to health, social justice applies to different aspects of life that can have positive effects on health including food, housing, employment, income, education and social safety. These are also considered social determinants of health. Much research has shown that social determinants are definitive factors to people’s health. That is to say, one’s socioeconomic status has a direct effect on the access or lack of access to healthcare. Therefore, social injustices create a disadvantage to those who are less privileged and health achievement is much more …show more content…
Each person’s circumstance is different, which is another reason why it’s important for nurses to be aware of different factors that affect a person’s access to healthcare in order to advocate for the patient. Nursing advocacy includes multifaceted dimensions like communicating with, informing, educating, protecting, speaking out for patients as well as building relationship with patients, community and society.
Education and role of