Color Does Matter: Nursing Assessment of Varying Skin Tones/Pigmentation.

The observation of color is an integral part of the nursing assessment. However, the current understanding of individual skin qualities and pigmentation has not yet been integrated thoroughly into foundational assessment courses, clinical education, simulation, and textbooks.Literature is scarce regarding racial groups, skin color, and physical assessment for patients across the lifespan, but even more so for the neonatal population. Historically, many nursing textbooks did not provide visual pictures or observational assessment strategies for the assessment of the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) population. This is improving in some nursing textbooks; however, the descriptors of and visual differences and anticipated assessment findings for the BIPOC population are not comprehensive.Evidence-based assessment findings, which may occur in newborns with varying skin tones/pigmentations, are presented.The most essential step to having an accurate assessment is acknowledging the importance of color awareness. Color blindness, while thought to support inclusivity, only contributes to exclusion of one of the most important components of a person's being-their color.

Duke Scholars

Author Brigit Maria Carter School of Nursing