In this episode of WOCTalk, Kathleen Francis, author of the JWOCN® article “Assessment and Identification of Skin Disorders in Skin of Color: An Integrative Review,” discusses the challenges and importance of accurate skin assessments for individuals with darker skin tones.
Kathy explores how “colorblindness” in healthcare can affect patient outcomes, the physiological differences in skin anatomy, and tools and technologies that enhance visual assessments. She also shares advice for healthcare professionals and highlights the need for more research in this critical area. Listen in for practical insights to improve equity in skin assessment practices.
Episode Resources:
JWOCN article: Assessment and Identification of Skin Disorders in Skin of Color: An Integrative Review
About the Guests:
Kathleen Francis, DNP, FNP-BC, CWOCN, is a registered nurse with over 45 years of diverse experience, including acute care, perioperative, critical care, long-term care, home health care, and wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing. Board-certified as a WOC nurse since 2008, she completed her WOC education in 2007 and has been an active member of the WOCN® Society, serving in various volunteer roles within the Society and the Northeast Chapter of the WOCN. Dr. Francis has worked as a CWOCN at VNS, Maimonides Medical Center, and is currently employed at NYU Langone Brooklyn. Her DNP project, completed in 2016, focused on the assessment and identification of skin injuries in individuals with darker skin tones. She has since published her project findings and continues to write and present on this critical topic at conferences. Additionally, she has contributed numerous journal publications and poster presentations to advance the field.