Policy-making is an essential factor that directly correlates with the state of the healthcare industry, the well-being of the population, and the work environment for medical personnel. Namely, Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are not only affected by the policies that are being implemented but also can participate in the decisions that will later be integrated into the system. However, while such implications are useful not only for the patients but the nurses themselves, low participation can cause adverse outcomes such as ineffective interventions and strategies that are unfit for the medical environment. In this paper, two opportunities for participation will be exemplified, namely, contacting local authorities and expressing evidence-based opinions and joining a professional association or board.
As exemplified prior, impacting local policy-making may be obtained by contacting local authorities in regards to a proposal. Thus, the nurses may disagree with a policy that has been shown to correlate with negative effects. As a result, local authorities are to be informed in order for the policy to be altered. An example is the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which implies a reduction in out-of-pocket costs for insulin (2022). Nurses working with patients diagnosed with diabetes are well-aware of how high prices on life-and-death medication can negatively impact health plan adherence, which is why they can suggest implementing an act addressing the issue. A limitation can be the authorities’ disregard of such recommendations, which can be mitigated through cooperation with significant nursing associations and organizations. Another strategy is joining such associations and boards since the boards directly govern policies while the associations suggest policies. As a result, both entities promote nurse participation in policy-making. However, joining such organizations may require extensive effort and time resources, which are limited for a lot of RNs and APRNs. In order for the challenge to be minimized, leaders are to encourage such aspirations. Thus, team leaders may suggest enrolling in associations and boards as it correlates with positive effects.
Two strategies can be implemented to advocate for nurses’ opportunities to participate in policy-making decisions. Namely, policy-making is to be addressed when nurses are in the process of receiving an education. Researchers point out that educating nurses on how to approach such concepts is essential during academic programs (Lewinski & Simmons, 2018). In order for opportunities to be advocated upon, it is crucial to adhere to nurse educators. The second strategy correlates with the work environment itself, as it is one of the main disruptors when it comes to low nurse participation (Hajizadeh et al., 2021). It is vital to inform leaders on the importance of encouraging nurses to partake in policy-making processes both locally and on a federal level. Thus, leaders are to provide workers with resources on who to contact in case implementation is to be addressed, how to join nursing associations and boards, and similar concepts.
Encouraging nurses to be active when it comes to health-related policies can drastically improve work environments. Thus, the solutions have to do with encouragement on an educational and organizational level. Educators will highlight the nuances of policy in nursing and provide the needed information on how to approach such issues and the essential role of nurses in terms of implementation. The second solution refers to the team leaders who are to offer guidance, support, and recommendations on writing official letters, joining boards and associations, and participating in state and federal policy-making processes. For example, a leader signing a letter written by the nursing team to the local authorities on the need for work hour reduction is more likely to be considered when policies are being established.
References
Affordable Insulin Now Act, H.R. 6833, 117th Congress. (2022). Web.
Hajizadeh, A., Zamanzadeh, V., Kakemam, E., Bahreini, R., & Khodayari-Zarnaq, R. (2021). Factors influencing nurses participation in the health policy-making process: A systematic review. BMC Nursing, 20(1). Web.
Lewinski, A. A., & Simmons, L. A. (2018). Nurse knowledge and engagement in health policy making: Findings from a pilot study.The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 49(9), 407–415. Web.