SKIN AND WOUND CARE

Throughout history, our health care system, literature, and practice has been focused on diagnosing and treating patients under the same umbrella. However, it is important to our healthcare system to understand that society is multicultural, and to recognize that there are unique healthcare characteristics that manifest in varying ethnic backgrounds. Specifically, there is a lack of representation in our nursing textbooks and resources that provide us with evidence of skin care or wound care assessment using Black skin. Anatomy textbooks rarely include Black skin care/assessment in learning, thereby creating a greater need for representation for future textbooks and resources to come. 

     For decades, the inherent underrepresentation of Black individuals in medical resources and educational materials have identified significant gaps in the resources available to patients, educators, clinicians, and practitioners (Lester et al., 2019). This led to the development of a resource tool that offers education on the various presentations of skin conditions, disorders, and wound processes that are representative of Black skin tones. In further educating society, we become more knowledgeable while growing competencies in practice and care. 

     The Ontario Black Nurses’ Network (OBNN) acknowledges that histories and experiences, both of the past and the present, ultimately contribute to the existence of challenges and barriers faced by members of the Black community. We continue to devote and dedicate our ambitions towards the empowerment, support, education, and improvement of resources to strengthen the awareness and knowledge of our society. 

     We are grateful for the opportunity to have collaborated with several cohorts of Trent University Nursing students to develop and update this resource. 

     Additions to this repository are always welcomed. We do not endorse any of these resources; this repository is intended for informational purposes only. We recommend that users validate the accuracy and should you notice any discrepancies, we kindly request that you notify us. 

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Lester, Taylor, S., & Chren, M. (2019). Under‐representation of skin of colour in dermatology images: not just an educational issue. British Journal of Dermatology (1951), 180(6), 1521–1522. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.17608