Modelling in Healthcare Policy and Finance, Research Paper Example

How can professional nursing associations and nurse lobbyist shape the future direction of healthcare and health policy?

Professional nursing associations and nurse lobbyists play a critical role in influencing healthcare policy in different ways. These groups consistently advocate for nurses’ rights and their expertise in practice settings in order to protect patients and advance nursing contributions to healthcare policy through expanded legislation and the protection of patients throughout many healthcare environments (Haebler, 2013). Nurses must continue to advocate for their patients to support improved quality of care, improved safety, and expanded research protocols to advance evidence-based practice objectives that will positively influence healthcare reform in different ways (Haebler, 2013). These contributions will continue to support the growth of practice settings through the development of new objectives to ensure that patient care outcomes are effective (Haebler, 2013). It is essential that nurses play an active role in policy development because this reflects the value of nurses to healthcare practice in the modern era, as they influence many aspects of practice, from patient care to research. Nurses must continue to be avid supporters of their field and express their knowledge to improve healthcare policy across many areas of practice.

What do you consider should be the top 2 global healthcare goals? How should legislative policy play a role in reaching those goals? Provide evidence to support your selection and rationale.

The primary global healthcare goals and objectives include the removal of barriers to healthcare and the minimization of health disparities, along with the improvement of healthcare delivery to patients throughout the world (World Health Organization, 2014). Barriers exist throughout healthcare practice and limit the ability of many population groups to obtain access to quality services, including basic preventative medicine and primary care needs (World Health Organization, 2014). Furthermore, groups who face significant health disparities must be provided with a framework to reduce those disparities and obtain greater access to care and treatment that could ultimately improve their lives in dramatic ways (World Health Organization, 2014). These contributions are essential to the discovery of new perspectives that are likely to improve the health and wellbeing of children, adults, and the elderly in the most vulnerable populations throughout the world, including those in developing countries (World Health Organization, 2014). Legislative policies must protect patient health and provide them with the resources that are necessary to improve their lives, including improved access to available resources that may have a positive impact on their lives (World Health Organization, 2014).

With regards to Health People 20/20 how can you as an Advanced Practice Nurse impact the healthcare system today and in the future?

Advanced practice nurses play a critical role in advancing healthcare outcomes and in supporting the objectives set forth by the government’s Healthy People 2020 initiative (Newland, 2009). These nurses provide many layers of expertise in practice settings so that the ever-changing scope of public health and preventative care continue to improve (Newland, 2009). The initiatives set forth by Healthy People 2020 are designed to address many needs within communities; therefore, advanced practice nurses working in these communities must continue to exercise their knowledge and provide expertise in areas where needs are most significant  (Newland, 2009). It is important that advanced practice nurses promote healthy lifestyle alternatives such as proper nutrition and exercise in order to prevent disease and improve overall health and wellbeing (Newland, 2009). These factors also support the continued development of new strategies that utilize evidence-based practice to improve patient care quality on a continuous basis (Newland, 2009). Advanced practice nurses must offer a framework that is innovative, creative, and accommodating for many different population groups, including those facing critical health disparities, in an effort to meet the mandates set forth by Healthy People 2020 (Newland, 2009). Nurses in this capacity must utilize their knowledge and expertise to expand evidence-based practice in community-based settings (Newland, 2009).

References

Haebler, J. (2013). Lobby day: nurses’ expertise valued in policy development. The American Nurse, retrieved from http://www.theamericannurse.org/index.php/2013/04/03/nurses-expertise-valued-and-needed-in-policy-development/

Newland, J. (2009). Editor’s memo: Healthy People 2020 reflects our changing times. The Nurse Practitioner: The American Journal of Primary Health Care, 34(12), retrieved from http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/journalarticle?Article_ID=944191

World Health Organization (2014). Primary health care. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/primary_health_care/en/