How does the community health nurse recognize bias, stereotypes, and implicit bias within the community? How should the nurse address these concepts to ensure health promotion activities are culturally competent?

Community health nurses can identify implicit and explicit bias in the community if they pay attention to differences between how some communities are treated. As an example, noting how healthcare resources are unevenly distributed among different groups of people or disparities in outcome for some populations (e.g. racial minorities), due to systemic factors such as racism, can provide strong indications that biases affect healthcare.

In addressing this concept, nurses should work to improve their cultural competence. This can be done by recognising and overcoming any biases they may have and engaging in a dialogue with all stakeholders to help them better understand what people need. Additionally, they should ensure that any health promotion activities consider multiple perspectives and reflect an understanding of each person’s unique cultural values and beliefs so that everyone receives equitable care regardless of background or identity.