Public Health Law, Essay Example

Public health law is of critical importance to the healthcare industry and to nursing practice, as it establishes the tone for the practice setting and the steps that are taken in providing patient care and treatment. It also establishes regulations for licensing, the work environment, occupations, and managing acts of non-compliance (Porche, 2011). This requires nurses to adhere to all established regulations and to be in compliance with the requirements set forth that govern healthcare practice so that patient care quality is at the highest possible level and is not compromised in any way (Porche, 2011).

The chapters also address the development of healthcare policies and the criteria that are necessary to establish policies effectively, including legal and political involvement in meeting these objectives (Porche, 2011). The models that are in place to support policy development are complex and intricate; therefore, they require practical knowledge and resources in order to effectively promote policies that will have a positive impact on patient outcomes and resource allocation throughout the healthcare industry. These policies require advanced practice nurses to utilize knowledge and other tools that will have a lasting impact on patient care and treatment over time.

These chapters offer a number of insights/outcomes for advanced practice nursing, including the following: 1) public health policy provides a framework for regulating educational and licensure requirements; 2) it provides a means to support the advanced practice environment and to adapt to healthcare needs as they emerge; 3) it demonstrates an ability to enable advanced practice nurses to be part of the discussion regarding policy development and implementation; 4) it requires all advanced practice nurses to exercise sound, practical, and ethical judgment in their activities in order to adhere to all established policies and regulations; and 5) it supports the continued growth of policy development activities and implementation so that patients will receive the best possible resources to improve outcomes.

References

Porche, D. (2011). Health Policy. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.