The art of care: How self-care fuels caring for others. Can care be a public health goal in the context of equity and hospital practices?

Abstract

This article examines the concept of care as a lever to promote equity in public health, with a specific focus on public hospitals as central care providers. It explores how self-care among healthcare professionals directly impacts their ability to deliver compassionate, inclusive, and equitable care to patients. By analyzing innovative hospital practices, field examples, and theoretical perspectives, the article offers actionable recommendations for embedding care principles in public hospitals to enhance equity and public health outcomes. Public hospitals face mounting challenges: job cuts, budgetary constraints, increasing workloads, failing and ageing hospital equipment, health professional mental burdens sometimes leading to burnouts. These issues occur in an environment with growing health disparities, undermining health professionals’ capacity to provide equitable and human-centered care.

As a researcher, I have found that my personal self-care practices—hygge moments of coziness, beauty rituals, yoga and meditation—significantly enhance my mental and physical well-being. These practices create a foundation that allows me to approach my work with greater patience, empathy and attentiveness, benefiting both my colleagues, students, interviewees and work partners.

In public hospitals, where time pressures and emotional demands are intense, professionals often neglect self-care. This oversight can lead to burnout, diminished quality of care, and inequities in patient outcomes.

How can health professionals’ personal self-care practices serve as a model for fostering a culture of care in public hospitals, contributing to equity and better health outcomes?

Can care, understood as both an attentive practice and an ethical framework, become a key strategy for improving equity and public health in public hospitals?

Firstly, we shall analyze the links between equity and public health through the lens of care. Then, we shall highlight the importance of health professionals’ well-being in delivering high-quality, equitable care. Finally, we shall propose concrete recommendations for integrating care principles into public hospital policies and practices.