American Indian Health and Nursing

Winner of the AJN Book of the Year Award in two categories (Professional Issues and Community/Public Health) announced Dec 29, 2016.
The first book to examine the profound disparities in American Indian health through a nursing lens and how they can be remedied
The average life expectancy of a male born on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota today is somewhere in the mid-40s,Äîthe lowest life expectancy ofall peoples not only in the United States but the entire Western Hemisphere. Written by and for nurses, this is the first text to focus exclusively onAmerican Indian health and nursing. In fact, it is likely the only nursing book to even mention American Indian health as a distinct entity. The textaddresses the profound disparities in policy, health care law, and health outcomes that affect American Indians, and describes how these disparities, woveninto the cultural, environmental, historical, and geopolitical fabric of American Indian society, are responsible for the marked lack of well-being amongAmerican Indians.
American Indian nurse authors, natives of nine unique American Indian cultures, address the four domains of health,Äîphysical, mental, spiritual, andemotional,Äîwithin each region to underscore the many stunning inequalities of opportunity for health and well-being within the American Indian culturecompared with ,ÄúAnglo,Äù culture. In an era of cultural competency, these expert nurse authors bring awareness of what is perhaps the least understoodminority population in the United States. The text covers the history of American Indians with a focus on the drastic changes that occurred followingEuropean contact. Included are excerpts from relevant journal articles, historical reports, interviews with tribal health officials, and case studies. Thebook addresses the roots of American Indian nursing, including coverage of indigenous knowledge and traditional approaches to health and healing. Itexamines current issues surrounding American Indian nursing, nursing education, and health care within 10 distinct American Indian cultural populations,including a crucial discussion of the health care needs of American Indians living in urban areas.