Researching Pre-Eclampsia and Its Effects on Non-Hispanic Black Women (NHBW)

Michelle Avila, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Nursing

When I first began thinking about doing my capstone project, I was not sure what route to take. As a nursing major and someone who was interested in different types of nursing, I wanted to research almost every new thing I learned.

It wasn't until after my maternity rotation that I fell in love with maternity care and was very interested in investigating this specific area. I had a patient who was diagnosed with a pregnancy issue known as pre-eclampsia, and I was curious to learn more about it. During lectures when this topic came up I not only learned the pathophysiology but I learned that non-Hispanic Black women (NHBW) are more prone to this issue.

After I completed this class I knew I wanted to investigate this topic further. During the next semester, I took a women's health class, which dived into the many health disparities and inequities women face, specifically non-Hispanic Black women. I learned about the social determinants of health that affect these women, which in turn leads to a decrease in their quality of life.

After taking this class and getting to know my professor (who became my mentor), I knew that I wanted to find a correlation between pre-eclampsia in NHBW and the effects that the social determinants of health have on them.

As a nurse, a want to ensure that I am always providing the best quality care possible and am following current standards and evidence-based practice. I wanted to shed light on this issue because it is so crucial for nurses to be aware of the many health disparities NHBW face and how we can provide effective care and refer them to available resources.

If I were to further this research, I would love to be able to bring this awareness to institutions for nurses to utilize. Implementing new education for nurses to be aware of the social determinants of health impacts on women would aid with improving disparities and the high morbidity and mortality rates women face.

This capstone allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone and dive deep into the literature. It taught me that as a nurse I have a huge role to play in access to healthcare and that I can be a valuable resource for many women in need.