Discussion 1: Policy Analysis Summary NURS 8100
Discussion 1: Policy Analysis Summary NURS 8100
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Discussion 1: 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 Day 3
Post a 1- to 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.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues sharing insights or contrasting perspectives
based on readings and evidence, and the practice implications of the policy.
Note: Please see the Syllabus and Discussion Rubric for formal Discussion question
posting and response evaluation criteria.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting.
Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments
made by your colleagues.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning
Resources and any additional sources.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
Week 11 Discussion 1 Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 11 Discussion 1
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Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the
Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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.
Accessible player
Optional Resources
Birnbaum, D. (2009). North American perspectives: POA, HAC and never
events. Clinical Governance: An International Journal, 14(3), 242–244.
The selected policy is HB3871 Safe Patient Limits Act, which is currently pending action in the Illinois Legislature. The proposed policy sets a minimum nurse staffing requirement for all hospitals in Illinois. It states the maximum number of patients assigned to a registered nurse in specific situations. It also provides that nothing shall bar a healthcare facility from assigning fewer patients to a registered nurse than the limits stated in Act (Illinois General Assembly, n.d.). Besides, it provides that nothing in the Act stops the use of patient acuity systems consistent with the Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act. Nonetheless, the maximum patient assignments in the Act may not be exceeded, despite using and applying any patient acuity system.
The policy can be addressed by having each hospital’s clinical team make staffing decisions for their hospitals depending on the unique circumstances at the specific hospital at any given time (Han et al., 2021). The policy can also be addressed by having professional nursing organizations advocate the implementation of the mandated staffing ratios in all hospitals to promote better working conditions for nurses and improve patient safety and quality of care. Implementing the policy can reduce nurse burnout and low job satisfaction associated with high workloads and physical and emotional fatigue (Lasater et al., 2021). In addition, it can improve the safety of patient care and patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
References
Han, X., Pittman, P., & Barnow, B. (2021). Alternative Approaches to Ensuring Adequate Nurse Staffing: The Effect of State Legislation on Hospital Nurse Staffing. Medical care, 59(10 Suppl 5), S463. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001614
Illinois General Assembly. (n.d.). Bill status for HB2604. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=2604&GAID=15&SessionID=108&LegID=118738
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., French, R., Martin, B., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing legislation: an observational study. BMJ open, 11(12), e052899. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052899