Policy Analysis Summary

Health care policy can facilitate or impede the delivery of services. For the past several weeks, you have been engaging in an authentic activity by critically analyzing a specific health care policy and various aspects of the impact associated with its implementation. A critical step in the policy process is communicating your findings with others. This week, you will share information from your policy analysis and its implications.

To prepare:

• Briefly      summarize your policy analysis, focusing on the implications for clinical      practice that may be most relevant or interesting for your colleagues.      Include how evidence-based practice influenced the policy, policy options,      or solutions.

By tomorrow 05/08/2018 10 pm, write a minimum of 250 words in APA format with at least 3 scholarly references from the list of required readings below. Include the level one headings as numbered below”

Post a 2-paragraph succinct summary of your policy analysis paper. Include at least two of the options or solutions for addressing the policy and the resulting implications for nursing practice and health care consumers.

Required Readings

Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2016). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical.

• Chapter      17, “Conclusion: Tensions and Challenges”

       This chapter concludes with final thoughts on the challenge of providing      quality health care and controlling health care costs. The solution is      likely to be resolved only by a collaborative approach, involving all      health care stakeholders, and by health professionals taking the lead.

Howard, J., Levy, F., Mareiniss, D. P., Craven, C. K., McCarthy, M., Epstein-Peterson, Z. D., & et al. (2010). New legal protections for reporting patient errors under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act: A review of the medical literature and analysis. Journal of Patient Safety, 6(3), 147-152.

The authors studied the dissemination of information on the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), a federal act that affords protection to those reporting medical errors. They found medical literature to be inadequate in this regard, and as a result, medical personnel were uninformed on their legal protections. This lack of information has become a barrier to policy implementation.

Jacobson, N., Butterill, D., & Goering, P. (2003). Development of a framework for knowledge translation: Understanding user context. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 8(2), 94–99.

Lau, B., San Miguel, S., & Chow, J. (2010). Policy and clinical practice: Audit tools to measure adherence. Renal Society of Australasia Journal, 6(1), 36–40. 

The authors study the compliance to renal-care policies by health care professionals. They conclude with the necessity for nurses to support evidence-based protocols as well as to obtain continuing education on new protocols.

McCracken, A. (2010). Advocacy: It is time to be the change. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 36(3), 15-17. 

The author proposes that nurses, as patient advocates, need to be more involved in the making of health care policy instead of reacting to policies that are constantly changing. The article provides a guide to help organize initial policy efforts.

Nannini, A., & Houde, S. C. (2010). Translating evidence from systematic reviews for policy makers. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 36(6), 22–26.

The article cites geronotological nurses as examples of those who are able to translate research into policy briefs that can be clearly understood by policy makers. Geronotological nurses are in this unique position because of their clinical experience and educational background.

Paterson, B. L., Duffet-Leger, L., & Cuttenden, K. (2009). Contextual factors influencing the evolution of nurses’ roles in a primary health care clinic. Public Health Nursing, 26(5), 421-429.

This article provides details on a study conducted in a nurse-managed clinic related to the changing roles of nurses. The authors found that nurses, in response to social, political, and economic forces, became involved in advocacy for the clinic through political action, government funding issues, and media relations roles.

Sistrom, M. (2010). Oregon’s Senate bill 560: Practical policy lessons for nurse advocates. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 11(1), 29-35. doi: 10.1177/1527154410370786

The author uses the efforts by a nurse advocate in lobbying for an Oregon bill related to healthy food in public schools to illustrate nurse advocacy and policy making. The bill, developed in response to childhood obesity, did not immediately become law. The author concludes with the importance of considering the political environment when creating successful policy.

Spenceley, S. M., Reutter, L., & Allen, M. N. (2006). The road less traveled: Nursing advocacy at the policy level. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 7(3), 180-194. doi: 10.1177/1527154410370786

Nurses have always been advocates at the patient-level of care, but the authors of this article promote the need for all nurses to become advocates at the policy level as well. They discuss factors that have kept nurses from getting involved with policy making and they provide strategies to resolve these challenges.

Wyatt, E. (2009). Health policy advocacy: Oncology nurses make a difference. ONS Connect, 24(10), 12-15. 

The author presents information on two nurses who have become health care policy advocates—one as a policy maker and one as an elected legislator. Both have been able to use their perspectives from their nursing careers to affect health policy.

Zomorodi, M., & Foley, B. J. (2009). The nature of advocacy vs. paternalism in nursing: Clarifying the ‘thin line.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(8), 1746-1752.

The authors attempt to distinguish the concepts of advocating for a patient and paternalism, or overriding a patient’s wishes. They provide clinical examples to illustrate the differences between these concepts, and they conclude with strategies to use in practice.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Healthcare policy and advocacy: Advocating through policy. Baltimore: Author. 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.

In this media presentation, Dr. Joan Stanley and Dr. Kathleen White discuss how nurses can influence practice and engage in advocacy through the policy process.

Optional Resources

Birnbaum, D. (2009). North American perspectives: POA, HAC and never events. Clinical Governance: An International Journal, 14(3), 242–244.

 

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Post a comparison of at least two APRN board of nursing regulations in your state/region with those of at least one other state/region. Describe how they may differ. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain how the regulations you selected may apply to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who have legal authority to practice within the full scope of their education and experience. Provide at least one example of how APRNs may adhere to the two regulations you selected.

 

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Post a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.

  

To Prepare:

· Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.

Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy 

 

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Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation.

To Prepare:

• Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.
• Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

Assignment

Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making. Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

 

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Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves collecting and analyzing information about program/policy activities, characteristics, and outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy initiatives.

Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program/policy.

To Prepare:

• Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources.
• Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you and get approval to use it from your Instructor.
• Review the healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.

The Assignment: (2–3 pages)

Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following:

• Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes.
• How was the success of the program or policy measured?
• How many people were reached by the program or policy selected?
• How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?
• At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?
• What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?
• What specific information on unintended consequences was identified?
• What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.
• Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?
• Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?
• Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation.

 

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