Classmate Response (3) Topic 8 DQ 2- Janet
QUESTION- As an advanced registered nurse, what will your role be in advocating for equitable population health services and policies? Do you anticipate any challenges or barriers to “population advocacy”?
Classmate Response (3) Topic 8 DQ 2- Janet
Health equity and advance policies are vital in ensuring that every member of the population can access quality care at any given time. However, the realization of this remains a dream as disparities in access to care remain prevalent. The disparities are shaped by the implemented health care policies leading to poor health outcomes in a section of the population, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Nurses play a vital role in reducing inequality in the care delivery processes due to their advocacy role. The advocacy role would revolve around championing the implementation of policies aimed at preventing premature disease onset. In order to address the inequity in health care services and policies, the focus is to ensure that the social determinants of health that predisposed the issue are identified and addressed. The determinants tend to vary within a population and predispose individuals to different health outcomes. Nurses can utilize advocacy initiatives to reflect the unique needs of the population they serve. Advocacy can enhance population health through the implication of social determinants. Advocacy is vital for nurses at the individual and collaborative levels (Williams et al., 2018).
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have an opportunity to engage and interact with patients and identify their unique health care needs. They may engage in the local department of health or an organization’s leadership to implement measures that permit access to care. APRNs play an essential role in protecting the health of patients and safeguarding their rights, which are the founding principles that guide patient advocacy initiatives (Davoodvand et al., 2016). The advocacy role also encompasses the influence of relevant policies to address a critical health issue (Davoodvand et al., 2016). In attaining this, nurses can focus on specific social determinants involved in a given health issue.
A critical challenge that may impede nurses’ advocacy goals is the restrictions by national, state, and organizations. This will make it difficult for APRNs to practice to the full extent of their education and training. Federal regulations and statutes, state practice statutes, and organizations require physicians to supervise or restrict APRN’s practice. This can impede access to care, increase health care costs, create an interruption in care, and compromise attempts to enhance the quality of care. Research suggests that lifting barriers to practice has the potential to lower health care costs and enhance access to care without lowering the quality of care. Physicians’ supervision of APRN practices can place a heavy burden on payment (Fauteux et al., 2017). Without the support, the attainment of the advocacy goals may be compromised. An excessive workload is another measure that may limit their involvement in advocacy. With excess work, they may not be able to create a balance and work towards the realization of the projected goals of advocacy (van den Oetelaar et al., 2016).
References:
Davoodvand, S., Abbaszadeh, A., & Ahmadi, F. (2016). Patient advocacy from the clinical nurses’ viewpoint: A qualitative study. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 9, 5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958925/
Fauteux, N., Brand, R., Fink L. Frelick, M., & Werrlein, D. (2017). The case for removing barriers to APRN practice. Charting Nursing’s Future. https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2017/03/the-case-for-removing-barriers-to-aprn-practice.html
van den Oetelaar, W. F., van Stel, H. F., van Rhenen, W., Stellato, R. K., & Grolman, W. (2016). Balancing nurses’ workload in hospital wards: Study protocol of developing a method to manage workload. BMJ Open, 6(11), e012148. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012148
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2018). Nurse advocacy: Adopting a health in all policies approach. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3). https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No3-Sept-2018/Policy-Advocacy.html
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Solution
QUESTION- As an advanced registered nurse, what will your role be in advocating for equitable population health services and policies? Do you anticipate any challenges or barriers to “population advocacy”?
Health disparities continue to be prevalent in society despite the various measures put in place to promote health equity. In almost all societies, individuals with access to materials and social resources normally tend to have healthier and longer lives. Nurses are in direct contact with patients and the population and thus have an important role in advocating for health equity as they better understand the challenges and needs of their patients, (Williams et al., 2018). The right policies and programs can assist in eliminating health disparities and inequalities. Nurses can advocate for equitable health services and policies in the community by influencing the development and implementation of the right policies, those that are evidence-based and aim at reducing poverty and lack of access to social resources and materials which forms the roots of health inequalities. APRNs should also advocate for policies that promote fairness and justice and those that address social determinants of health, (Davoodvand et al., 2016).
Restriction of APRNs practice by some States is the main barrier to population advocacy by nurses. Approximately 50% of the states still limit APRNs practice despite the available evidence which shows that the quality of care provided by physicians and APRNs is almost similar and even in some cases patients indicated higher satisfaction with nurse-led care, (Davoodvand et al., 2016). Nurses also have larger workloads on a typical day such as examination of the patient, providing counseling and health education, performing tests, and coordinating care with specialists and other care providers. This can limit their influence and time for engaging in policy advocacy, (Nsiah et al., 2019).
References
Davoodvand, S., Abbaszadeh, A., & Ahmadi, F. (2016). Patient advocacy from the clinical nurses’ viewpoint: a qualitative study. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 9.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958925/
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. P. (2019). Registered nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing open, 6(3), 1124-1132.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6650676/
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2018). Nurse advocacy: Adopting a health in all policies approach. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3).
