Publication · American Journal of Public Health · 2022
Nurses’ frontline expertise belongs in public health policy, a lesson COVID-19 made unmistakable.
This commentary makes the case that nurses’ frontline expertise should have a stronger voice in shaping public health policy, a lesson underscored by COVID-19.
The COVID-19 response laid bare deep public health and health-equity challenges in the United States, and showed why nursing perspectives matter in addressing them.
Yet nurses are largely excluded from national policy conversations. This commentary calls for meaningfully including and elevating nurses in public health policy.
Nurses see public health gaps firsthand, yet are often left out of policy decisions.
Include and elevate nurses in policy.