Health Equity in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Rounds: A Multidisciplinary Educational Conference

Despite improving pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality in other high-income countries, birthing people and infants in the United States have disparate and worsening outcomes influenced by structural, political, and moral determinants of health including racism. 1 2021 Annual Report. America's Health Rankings, United Health Foundation. 〈https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2021-annual-report/international-comparison〉; 2021. Accessed March 5, 2022. Google Scholar , 2 Clark A. Wescott P. Mitchell N. et al. Centering equity: addressing structural and social determinants of health to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Semin Perinatol. 2022; 46151661 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar As clinicians in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), we are professionally obligated to enact structural and individual changes to mitigate disparities. 3 Cohen A. Montez K. Orr C. et al. Changing who has a seat and voice at the table: how the Academic Pediatric Association is responding to systemic racism. Acad Pediatr. 2022; 22: 352-355 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar Therefore, recognizing and understanding how structural determinants of health (SDoH) and racism affect our patients is paramount.