NR 506 Week 6 DQ: Using the Media: Session
Given the power of the media, discuss how you would use an opinion editorial, a personal interview, websites, texting, Facebook, Twitter, and/or blogs to influence public opinion relative to your policy priority. What concerns about media and electronic so
The Power of Media
Given the power of the media, discuss how you would use an opinion editorial, a personal interview, websites, texting, Facebook, Twitter, and/or blogs to influence public opinion relative to your policy priority. What issues about media and electronic social networking do you need to consider? Why?
One of the activities in which nurses should get involved to ensure that their influence and voice are heard in all the planning matters of patient care is through policy advocacy. While it’s true that various strategies of accessing policymakers such as face to face meeting, emails, and phone calls can all be effective in influencing the policymakers in making their decisions regarding particular issues, the use of various forms of media presents a real opportunity for success in that regard (Bou-Karroum et al., 2017). In recent times, media, and especially social media, forms every aspect of human life, and gone are the days when it was being used as a means of socializing only. The emergent social media platforms permit the users to connect to one another, correspond and collaborate through active conversations.
The social media platforms can therefore be used in promoting and advancing a health policy issue with a greater magnitude since such promotions can use a large audience quickly since the message can be shared and re-shared on numerous social media platforms within a short time (Bou-Karroum et al., 2017). As nurses, there a
re professional codes of ethics and standards of practice that guide our actions within the continuum of patient care. Therefore, one of the most crucial obstacles for nurses in the use of social media is always to maintain professionalism as well as uphold standards of patient confidentiality all the time. Besides, there are always high chances of meeting patients as well as other nurses and healthcare professionals on these social media platforms, so what an individual communicates matters a lot.
ALSO READ: NR 506 Week 5: Drivers of High Performance Healthcare Systems SOLUTION
Among the issues, I have been passionate about are issues regarding environmental pollution. I believe that as a
practitioner, keeping the environment free from pollution lies a key to lowering some of the common ailments brought through environmental pollution. With the coming of the media platforms, I can use the platforms to tackle issues like the disposal of plastic bags. Plastic bags are so harmful to the environment since they are non-bio gradable. Running Facebook pages and Twitter handle to advance the campaign in support of the policy advocacy can be impactful (Myers, 2020). While running such pages, I can easily tag our legislative leaders so they can know that, apart from approaching them in person through face-to-face meetings, emails, and phone calls, I am also involved in social media campaigns to advocate the ban on plastic bag usage.
Apart from using these media as a platform for information dissemination, they can also be used as information sources. However, the authenticity and accuracy of such information should be verified before use, since in this age, anyone can post anything on social media. Therefore, information related to environmental pollution should only be obtained from reputable sources (Myers, 2020). An example of places where I could obtain the information includes peer-reviewed journals and government websites. Sometimes people get tempted to doctor, embellish or fabricate information so that they get as many reactions from the platforms as possible. However, in many cases, there can be a backlash, especially if the nurse is working for a facility and hence the social media users taking his/her opinions as the stand of the facility on that matter. If some of the information is wrong, then the individual can easily get into trouble with the hospital management.
In conclusion, media and especially social media can be a powerful tool to promote and advance policy advocacy. However, its effects can have both positive and negative impacts, so it is the responsibility of the nurse to ensure that he/she engages in the correct use of these platforms as guided by the codes of ethics and standards of practice.
Read Also: NR 506 Week 7: RN as Healthcare Policy Leader Discussion SOLUTION
References
Bou-Karroum, L., El-Jardali, F., Hemadi, N., Faraj, Y., Ojha, U., Shahrour, M., … & Akl, E. A. (2017). Using media to impact health policy-making: an integrative systematic review. Implementation Science, 12(1), 1-14.
Myers, C. R. (2020). Promoting Population Health: Nurse Advocacy, Policy Making, and Use of Media. Nursing Clinics, 55(1), 11-20
In researching the Parkland students, it seems as if they have found a way to turn the horrible event that occurred in their school thru their tweeting, jokes, video clips of their story (Bromwich, 2018). Their goal is to stop the incident that occurred at their school from happening any where else. MS Gonzalez one of the student that survived the shooting is speaking out freely on tweeter and so forth, where prior to this she barely knew how to use a key board (Bromwich, 2018). Ms. Gonzalez became one of the well-known students after she presented a speech the Saturday after the shooting. Ms. Chadwick a 16-year-old, junior at parkland tweeted how easy it was to purchase an AR-15 (rifle). Fox news was basically reprimanded Ms. Chadwick for her voice of opinion on the ease of being able to purchase such a rifle (Bromwich, 2018). Ms. Chadwick should have the right to free speech. The NRA has declined any comment on the issue of broad ownership rights of firearms. Ms. Lahren applauded the students for their continued fight against their vision of stopping this mass shooting anywhere else, but also reminded them that along with freedom of speech, one must also stop and listen to what is being said even if they don’t believe it (Bromwich, 2018). The students speaking out on tweeter believe that even if you don’t agree with what they are voicing that for a minute you think about it. The students at Parkland feel they don’t have their regular teenager life anymore, “It is gone forever” (Bromwich). This story saddens me.
I reviewed the website you suggested and it is an eye opener and I believe it is great that teens are doing this fight to stop gun violence. I believe they will make the difference in the world that is so needed.
Bromwich, J. (2018). How the parkland students got so good at social media. The New York times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/us/parkland-students-social-media.html (Links to an external site.)