Introduction
Since the healthcare system is mainly represented by nurses in terms of the number of workers, the individuals who work as RNs and APRNs certainly are to be active participants in regulatory procedures. However, certain limitations create an environment in which nurses are not fully functional in policy review. Reviewing policies is essential before implementing them and causing a change within the system. Nurses are to review such concepts due to their expertise in ethical and professional care provision and access to patient feedback.
Opportunities
Nurses can participate in policy reviews based on various opportunities. According to researchers, nurses often ensure the patients receive ethical treatment (Barzegar Safari et al., 2020). Thus, nurses can be responsible for reviewing the ethical aspect of a proposed policy and assessing whether it promotes accessibility and equality. For example, an approach to address treatment regarding diabetes is not only to consider the type of care and medications a patient requires. Since diabetes implies the use of life-and-death medications, nurses can attest to the importance of lowering the cost and making insulin affordable.
Moreover, the care that nurses provide for patients with diabetes-related complications gives them an overview of the severity of skipping medications because individuals cannot afford them. Another opportunity to participate in policy review is providing feedback on the implementation aspects that may lack consideration of human subject protection. For example, the policy has to do with medical research. In this case, the policy-makers may have the interest of the general population as the main focus, which nurses value patient-centered care and respect privacy. Relevant literature highlights the importance of considering the desires of the research subjects (Williams & Anderson, 2018). Thus, nurses can ensure the research-related policies are based on privacy and the wishes of every topic under the research.
Overcoming Challenges
A challenge that may prevent nurses from participating in policy reviews is the lack of belief in the fact that they are contributing to a change. This is supported by researchers illustrating that nurses do not see a practical meaning in such activities (Barzegar Safari et al., 2020). This may be mitigated by demonstrating the impact nurses can have on policies. For example, a policy reviewed by ANA that has changed due to the implication on nurses during the review stage is to be illustrated as a collective effort in which RNs and APRNs applied their expertise. Another challenge that can be minimized is a lack of external support. For example, researchers mention a lack of feedback when it comes to practical involvement (Glasgow et al., 2003). This is to be addressed by encouraging nurses to participate by administrators and offering input on reviews that have led to the successful implementation of a policy.
Promoting Opportunities
Communicating opportunities to participate in policy reviews is the first step toward an improvement. For example, nurses are to be informed on the relevant research regarding the importance of being active in policy-making in the healthcare industry. This can be effective by building a research infrastructure addressing nursing in establishing systematic change (Shiramizu et al., 2016). Another option is for policy-makers to seek feedback from nurses. They are the primary care providers with access to the needed information on patients, treatments, and the possible need for change.
Conclusion
Nurse participation in policy-making and implementation is crucial, especially during the review stage. Since the profession implies the presence of expertise when it comes to caring provision and ethics, nurses can effectively participate in such reviews to determine the most efficient measures and solutions to existing problems. This will not only create an environment in which nurses directly influence the industry but also allows them to actively contribute to a better healthcare system overall.
References
Barzegar Safari, M., Bahadori, M., & Alimohammadzadeh, K. (2020). The related factors of nurses’ participation and perceived benefits and barriers in health policymaking.Journal of Nursing Research, Publish Ahead of Print. Web.
Glasgow, R. E., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. C. (2003). Why don’t we see more translation of Health Promotion Research to practice? rethinking the efficacy-to-effectiveness transition.American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1261–1267. Web.
Shiramizu, B., Shambaugh, V., Petrovich, H., Seto, T. B., Ho, T., Mokuau, N., & Hedges, J. R. (2016). Leading by success: Impact of a clinical and Translational Research Infrastructure Program to address health inequities.Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 4(5), 983–991. Web.
Williams, J. K., & Anderson, C. M. (2018). OMICS research ethics considerations.Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 386–393. Web.