Role Of The Professional Nurse In Health Policy
ANSWERS
Policy and politics in healthcare have a daily impact on nurses. Nurses are uniquely positioned to see how health policy affects patients and communities because they are the largest group in the global healthcare workforce. All nurses can advocate for change, whether at work, in nursing organizations, in government, or directly with policymakers and elected officials. Every nurse can have a say in developing and implementing health policies.
What Exactly Is Health Policy?
The World Health Organization defines health policy as “the decisions, plans, and actions taken within a society to achieve specific health care goals.” It encompasses any law, regulation, or research that impacts patient health and care providers. Many different health policies exist, such as public health, individual health, care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare systems.
Why Do Nurses Matter in Health Policy?
Nurses can influence healthcare for patients now and in the future by working on policy. Using health literacy guidelines, you can advocate for patient information that is at an appropriate level and written in plain language. Alternatively, you could note whether your work standards, such as policies and procedures or clinical pathways, adhere to evidence-based practice. You should join a committee or council to help change best practices.
Nurses can gain power by speaking with one voice by joining a national nursing organization. For example, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) operates the ONS Center for Advocacy and Health Policy, which highlights cancer policy priorities, position statements, resources, and coalitions. Many ONS members frequently testify before Congress, the FDA, and the National Institutes of Health on healthcare issues affecting oncology nurses and cancer patients.
Every year, nurses from across the country gather on Capitol Hill to influence the legislative environment. ONS, like many other nursing specialty organizations, has a Health Policy Director who oversees the organization’s legislative and regulatory affairs on a national level while also empowering nurses to effect change in their communities and states.
What Role Do Nurses Play in Health Policy?
Few nurses choose a career in health policy, but the majority can influence it. You can lobby for individual patient health equity, resources, or staff assistance.
Individual Health: Nurses play an essential role in understanding, identifying, and addressing barriers that keep people from being as healthy as they could be. These disparities (or inequalities) in health are complex and frequently intertwined. Nurses consider social, cultural, and economic factors when advocating for their patients to work toward health equity.
Population Health: According to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP), all nurses should focus on population health, serving as community/public health nurses in some capacity to meet the needs of individuals, groups, families, and populations in a variety of communities. Nurses frequently advocate for community resources, services, necessities, and education.
Staff Health: Nurses in various positions use their leadership abilities to help teams function more effectively, ultimately improving patient care. Safe staffing and strategies to improve nurses’ wellness are critical to our country’s health. Physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, and safety are the five key areas addressed by the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation campaign.
You have the unique education and experience as a nurse to influence policy. Here are some ways you can influence health policy.
Discover how policy is made.
Understand who makes policy in your workplace and community.
Investigate which health policies are most important to you.
Look into which legislators support policies that are important to you.
Write to your legislator about patient care issues.
Inform colleagues about opportunities to sway policy.
Join organizations that advocate for patients or nurses.
Role Of The Professional Nurse In Health Policy
QUESTION
Role Of The Professional Nurse In Health Policy
Write an assignment on the role of the professional nurse in health policy.
- Discuss the professional nurse’s role in health policy.
- Identify and articulate an action plan for nurses to increase involvement.
Submission Instructions:
- The work is to be clear and concise and students will lose points for improper grammar, punctuation and misspelling.
- The work is to be no shorter than 5 pages; nor longer than 7 pages in length, excluding the title, abstract and references page.
- Your work should be formatted per APA and references should be current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions).
- Incorporate a minimum of 3 current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles and books should be referenced according to current APA style (the library (Links to an external site.) has a copy of the APA Manual).
Visit the American Nurses Association: Healthy Policy for more information: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/health-policy/