Culturally competent care in the neonatal intensive care unit, strategies to address outcome disparities

In the past two years, we have witnessed social unrest, the unequal effects of a pandemic across our society, and a focus on how systems in the United States produce unequal outcomes along racial and cultural divides. With increased national awareness, there has also been a call for change in healthcare, specifically racial inequities in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) outcomes (1). While race may be a data point used to classify outcomes, it has no basis in biology, and merely identifying it does not make it simple to address. To address these inequities we need to look past the social construct of race and to the social aspects of our care in the NICU. Focusing on small and large changes that we can make as individuals, units, and as a specialty that can improve the care and outcomes of this at-risk patient population. This perspective focuses on culturally congruent care, trauma-informed care, and other approaches to reduce disparities in neonatal outcomes.

Automated summary

In the past two years, social unrest and the unequal impact of the pandemic have highlighted the racial and cultural divides in the United States. This has led to increased national awareness and a call for change in healthcare, particularly concerning racial inequities in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) outcomes. To address these inequities, it is necessary to go beyond race as a social construct and focus on the social aspects of care in the NICU. Culturally congruent care, trauma-informed care, and other approaches can help reduce disparities in neonatal outcomes.