To address diparities regarding healthcare access and equitable treatment in black communities, we recommend improved training on informed consent, and for healthcare providers to have the more of the "uncomfortable" conversations surrounding race and ethnic minorities as it pertains to managing disparities.
Improved training on informed consent
One of the primary grievances we as readers, especially working in healthcare, had with Henrietta’s care as it was detailed in the book stems from the utter lack of informed consent. As detailed in an article by Shau et al (2023), informed consent is much more than a formality, but rather an essential piece to establishing trust in a provider-to-patient relationship and ensures ethical treatment decisions. Henrietta was not awarded what should be required in every single patient encounter – basic awareness of procedure and input regarding if her cells were taken from her and how they could be used.
It is our recommendation that education regarding informed consent should be implemented for all healthcare workers to ensure proper practice. This training could occur when an employee is hired, for example, which could help with standardization and implementation across the board.
The “uncomfortable” discussions around race and ethnicity
When we take a look at Henrietta Lacks and how she was treated over the course of her care at Johns Hopkins now over 70 years later, something becomes obvious to us as healthcare providers: we must think critically and objectively about the differences around how her care was handled, and do something to address it. A lot of political discourse surrounds the discussion of race in America especially, making it a topic bound to have people defending their side ruthlessly. Some people in the current political climate may say that they “don’t see color” or treat people the same regardless of their skin tone, nationality or ethnicity. This will not stand in healthcare.
The reality is that people are treated differently because of their race and other factors. We see this with Henrietta Lacks and the lived experience of many other people of color. We see how this affects health as well, as our course discussed Black Americans still having more poor life expectancy compared to white counterparts (Lovelace Jr, 2022). As healthcare providers we should see color, we should see how one’s lived experience and social determinants of health can have an impact in their care, and we need that to more properly address disparities. Medicine should be about treating the whole person, everything that makes them who they are, within the context of our broader environment and all the ways in which their care will be affected.
Our commitment as future nurses
There is power when we can evaluate medical history, and allow it to shape our modern day practice. As our group has finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, we are grateful to Henrietta, her family, and the author Rebecca Skloot for giving this story a voice and a platform. As your future nurses, we hope to never lose sight of the whole patient, and to do everything we can to support, educate, and uplift those who seek care from us.
We thank you for your time.
