In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making. A critical component of any policy design is evaluation of the results. How comfortable are you with the thought of becoming involved with such matters?
Some nurses may be hesitant to get involved with policy evaluation. The preference may be to focus on the care and well-being of their patients; some nurses may feel ill-equipped to enter the realm of policy and political activities. However, as you have examined previously, who better to advocate for patients and effective programs and polices than nurses? Already patient advocates in interactions with doctors and leadership, why not with government and regulatory agencies?
In this Discussion, you will reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation.
To Prepare:
In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making.
Review the Resources and reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation.
Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.
Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.
Post an evaluation topic and a brief descriiption of the evaluation. Discuss how social determinants impact this issue.
Module 4 discussion post:
A great number of opportunities are available for nurses, including both Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), to engage in policy decision-making for healthcare provision. There is one clear opportunity: continuing professional nursing organisations, such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), which has a dedicated legislative agenda. Other ways through which the nurses could participate in the determination of health policy include joining these organisations to lobby or even give testimony on advocacy issues. For instance, nurses can work to increase health access, ensure the safety of patients, or enhance health discourse for the public. Williams & Koyama(2020) state that this involvement enables Nurses to speak as the voice of their profession and patients so as to make changes that reflect what exists in the real world as concerns Health Care.
A second mechanism of policy involvement brings government policy advisors and task forces directly into the social organisation. According to the American Nurses Association (2020), in this manner, quite a number of states and federal agencies require qualified healthcare professionals, such as nurses, in committees that formulate healthcare standards and policies. For example, a nurse may be on a health board that deals with health facility access, health standards, or health appeal for marketers or workers.
But there are some barriers, for instance, time limitation because of tight schedules at work or lack of policy information. Mason & McLemore, (2020) note that these barriers can be well handled by granting the nurses knowledge and skills in health policy and advocacy by providing them with some education and mentorship programs. Hence, nurses can improve their impact in the area of health policy through the acquisition of continuing education or certifications.
In conclusion, to have policy engagement increasing in frequency, one can align with nursing organisations to host policy engagement talks such as Webinars/Workshops, ensuring that many nurses are informed of the rooms available to them. Following strategies include establishment of accountability through pairing of new generation of nurses with elder nurses, nurse paralegals to help them transform from clinical practice to policy participation. These would enable the nurses to meaningfully participate in the role development of the health care system.
References
American Nurses Association. (2020). Nurses’ role in advocating for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/nurses-role-in-advocating-public-health-during-covid-19/
Mason, D. J., Perez, A., & McLemore, M. R. (2020). Advancing health equity and social justice: Nursing’s role in policy and advocacy. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(6), 690–698. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12506
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2020). Nurse advocacy: Adopting a health in all policies approach. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 25(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol25No01Man02