Policy Development
The public health policy for palliative care was created by the World Health Organization, which has a critical role in the United Nations system as the governing and coordinating body for international health. Its broad mandate includes providing leadership on increasingly complex global health issues (Gruhler et al., 2018). Moreover, the organization is responsible for creating health guidance, norms, and standards, monitoring and evaluating health trends, and formulating research programs in the health sector.
There are significant risks in the course of organizing palliative care; therefore, it is imperative to conduct a thorough review before implementing a policy in an institution. The process should commence with an assessment of service needs in the population of the area served by the IH (Gruhler et al., 2018). Subsequently, a person in charge should be identified and have necessary conversations with all staff members. Moreover, IH ought to acquire a universal, comprehensive PC to stop bias. In this regard, training is of great matter in the development of palliative care, especially the movement of all health care workers on issues relating to anesthetic maintenance. It is also necessary to review the support system for caregivers because nurses’ workload may interfere with the quality and quantity of services provided.
It is crucial to organize educational events and public relations to promote and publicize the policy. Periodic advertising, including media and newsletters simultaneously, will be helpful in promoting the quality of services, which can influence consciousness and education (Gruhler et al., 2018). Moreover, community outreach, weekly information sessions, videos, and surveys of families of former patients are essential. Ultimately, the Internet should be the primary source for promoting services and educating consumers about the benefits of hospice care.
In order to maintain trusting relationships and be effective in providing quality palliative care, it is necessary to understand the specifics and characteristics of the target group. When working with relatives and families in general, the multidisciplinary nature of respect and the specialist’s personal willingness to be in contact must be considered (Gruhler et al., 2018). Frequently, specialists consider one of the aspects – either psychological or physiological. However, quality palliative care regards a comprehensive team approach to meeting the needs of terminally ill children and their families. In order to communicate the new workplace policy to employees, it is vital to hold a meeting and share the updates. The policy is extensive, and additional training with confidential feedback from employees should be provided.
Implementation
The first step in the implementation process is to create a sense of urgency for changes. To achieve a sustainable transformation, everyone involved must feel the transition speed and believe that the new policy is required. If workers do not support the initiative, it will be challenging to maintain momentum, and therefore any modifications may not last for an extended period (Gruhler et al., 2018). The goal of the first step is to prepare employees for future changes and encourage their participation. In order to accomplish this aim, it is crucial to identify the existing challenges and opportunities of the IH using a SWOT analysis. Therefore, a thorough dialogue with the staff will be provided to explain the necessity for changes.
Furthermore, building a team with the necessary skills, qualifications, reputation, relationships, and credibility is crucial to leading change initiatives and influencing stakeholders. The team will have a leader responsible for the transformation initiative. His responsibility will be to provide executive-level assistance and sufficient resources to implement the policy. The fourth step is to utilize all available communication channels to ensure that the medical staff comprehends the need for the approach and its benefits to both the institution and the patients. There will frequently be obstacles to implementing organizational shifts, and it is essential to focus on removing them.
The process of implementation is endurable; therefore, the early phase will focus on short-term goals. It will be accomplished primarily to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of care to improve the strategies. The next step is to maintain policy by ensuring that teams work hard to achieve the vision of change by tracking their progress (Gruhler et al., 2018). People must be advised to refrain from celebrating notable victories after a few completed goals. In order to preserve the momentum of policy proceedings, a determination will be completed. There is a need to maximize the benefits of swift goals, and then the work on large-scale changes can start.
The goal of transformation leaders is to create a new culture in which policy can be sustained. It includes adjusting organizational norms and values, procedures, reward systems, and other infrastructure components. Everything must be aligned with the new strategy in this step. Therefore, the discussion of the importance of the latest changes, emphasizing the benefits they provide, will be conducted. Identifying and adopting norms and values that promote modifications are necessary. Leaders should consider unique models and weights when identifying and hiring new talents or promoting employees. It is also vital to create further training and development programs to help employees acquire the skills and competencies needed to adapt to recent changes (Gruhler et al., 2018). One should improve or eliminate organizational procedures that do not accommodate the new culture.
Policy Evaluation Considerations
Disproportion is one of the setbacks in the availability of a full range of medical interventions in favor of predominantly medical and social care. Furthermore, the tendency for hospices to be located far from urban hospitals causes complexities, which guides to a lack of awareness. Students and residents have infrequent opportunities to practice palliative care. The lack of teaching and residency programs causes hardships in comprehending the need for policy implementation.
The sustainability of palliative care policies can be performed through planning and funding. Efforts should ensure continuity of resources and be reliable guarantors of the implementation and reality of the strategy. Moreover, the policy can be implemented in other institutions. Its features allow the methodology to be applied at homes, outpatient clinics, nursing departments, and general hospitals. Standardized clinical methods should be utilized to routinely measure patients’ suffering symptoms and functional capacity.
The implementation of the policy should lead to the gradual expansion and integration of palliative care into the healthcare system. Access to medications must be improved, and human resources strengthened. It is also expected that every patient will be able to receive four-pronged urgent care. Palliative care is an essential component of service delivery, and its significant implication is to improve outcomes for patients and their relatives and reduce health care costs.
Senior management must agree that palliative care is part of the role of all health care workers. There is a need to review the approach and consider it a routine rather than a specialized medical activity. It is also essential to re-evaluate capacity, drug control, and training approaches. Policies allow services to be provided at the proper time in a suitable place, supported by individuals with the relevant skills and appropriate resources to provide care. The focus should be shifted from tools and high-tech equipment to coherence.
Additional
The public health policy for palliative care is one of the most comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches developed to improve patients’ lives. This policy aims to prevent and relieve suffering through early detection, proper assessment, and treatment of pain and other concerns. The approach promotes dignity, quality of life, and adjustment to progressive disease by employing the most satisfactory possible evidence. It represents comprehensive physical, psychological, and spiritual care for the patient and support for the family. The policy includes a few significant steps to guarantee the result. It starts from the point the disease is diagnosed and continues regardless of whether or not the patient receives treatment for the disease itself.
The basis for palliative care strategy is the speed and necessity of getting rid of pain and other suffering symptoms. Furthermore, it is not limited by these aims and includes measures to improve the quality of life and even thoroughly influence the course of the disease. A vital policy condition is that all people, regardless of income, type of illness, or age, should access a nationally established set of essential health services, including palliative care. Medications must be available to all who need them. Such lists include opioid and non-opioid pain medications and medicines used to manage the most common symptoms in palliative care.
The leading methods of the policy are divided into four categories: physical care, psychological, emotional, spiritual maintenance, care planning, coordination, and communication. It operates brief screening methods tested in rich and developing countries. Moreover, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Palliative Care Outcome Indicators (POS) are essential policy elements. Treatment should focus on symptoms that reduce patients’ quality of life. Otherwise, the side effects of the intervention may cause harm rather than the pathological condition itself. A multidisciplinary team qualified in palliative care, including physicians, nurses, community health workers, and volunteers, must be involved to implement the policy.
Reference
Gruhler, H., Krutka, A., Luetke-Stahlman, H., & Gardner, E. (2018). Determining palliative care penetration rates in the acute care setting. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 55(2), 226–235.