Cancer and social justice: What's advocacy got to do with it?

• Published in: CANNT Journal Vol. 33; no. 1; p. 149
• Main Authors: Beck, Scott, Cleyn, Sarah, Crawford, Joanne, Knox, Andrea, Roberts, Carolyn, Stirling, Morgan, Wiens, Allison, Ken, Gabriella Wong
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Barrie Canadian Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technologists 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Advocacy; Cancer; Oncology; Social justice
• ISSN: 1498-5136

Social justice, or the equitable distribution of social benefits and burdens in a society, has long been a core value within the nursing profession. But when you think of social justice issues, does cancer as a social justice issue come to mind? Research suggests that groups who are impacted by health and social inequities (often referred to as marginalized, vulnerable, or underserved) are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with cancers that are preventable, be diagnosed with late-stage disease for cancers with well-established screening programs, receive no treatment or poor-quality treatment, and die from cancers that are generally curable. These are serious injustices, and as oncology nurses, we have a professional responsibility to begin to address these injustices. In this workshop, we will explore cancer as a social justice issue, the role of nursing advocacy as one tool among many to work towards social justice in oncology. Leaming objectives By the end of the workshop participants should be able to: 1. Explain why cancer is a social justice issue 2. Describe how advocacy can be used as a tool to address social injustices across the cancer care system 3. Describe strategies for oncology nurses to advocate with/for underserved populations in cancer care.