International Women’s Day: ICN President calls for greater efforts to bring about gender equality in healthcare through digital inclusivity

Marking this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD23), International Council of Nurses President, Dr Pamela Cipriano, calls for greater efforts to be made to bring about gender equality in relation to the use of digital technology in healthcare.

The theme of IWD23, is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. IWD23 is being amplified by the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Speaking ahead of ICN’s Digital Transformation of the Nursing Workforce event at CSW-67 in New York on 10 March, Dr Cipriano said:

“Recent advances in digital health, including delivery of virtual care, the analysis of big data, the introduction of smart wearables and the dramatic developments in artificial intelligence, reinforce the need for nurses to be digital health experts so that they can maximise the advantages of these technologies for the benefit of their patients.

‘Empowering nurses through innovations in digital healthcare will advance gender equity and improve patient care, but these benefits will only come about if sufficient attention is paid to nurses’ needs in an increasingly technological world.” Dr Cipriano encouraged nurses to participate in the International Women’s Day campaign theme, which is #EmbraceEquity. Its aim is to get the world talking about equity, as true inclusion and belonging require equitable action, not just equal opportunities.

Dr Cipriano said:

“IWD23 and #EmbraceEquity celebrate the immense contribution of women to every walk of life including family and work, and nursing is a profession where 90% of workers are women.

‘As a predominantly female profession, nurses are acutely aware that gender inequality in healthcare is a major issue. It results in the under-representation of nurses in influential leadership positions, relatively poor pay, and a lack of respect and value of their work.

‘Nurses are working tirelessly for the people they serve: their compassion, expertise and dedication increase people’s wellbeing and their actions save people’s lives every day, making the world a better, safer, more peaceful place for everyone.

‘ICN is calling for major efforts by governments and societies to address these and other gender equity issues so that patients can benefit from the work of nurses within a more equitable and inclusive culture.”

Download the press release here