Discuss the nurse’s role in the policy development model. Additionally, talk about the policy meeting you have attended or will be attending. What key points could a nurse bring to this meeting and subject?
Solution
Nurses play a huge role in the policy development model. Policy development is the collective decision about what action needs to be done that is appropriate for the community (Austin & Wetle, 2018). Nurses are the first line of defense when it comes to handling patients; therefore, their input should be highly suggested. According to the website University of North Carolina Wilmington, the article “How nurses can shape health policy” states that nurses are the advocates for the patient, and nurses play a crucial role when it comes to the individual’s health, the population’s health, and the health of the staff (2021). Nurses’ critical roles in policy development affect the patient, fellow nurses, and the population. For example, if a patient were COVID-19 positive, a nurse could make a policy that there should be no visitors to protect the individual, the population, and their fellow staff members. This is to prevent the risk of disease transfer to the outside population and the staff while protecting the individual.
The policy meeting, I attended was the Universal Health Care Commission meeting. The meeting was about how we can give healthcare access to all types of people regardless of their citizenship status in the state of Washington. This allows nurses to see the social injustice in the healthcare system and allows us to see why all patients should get healthcare access in the state of Washington. Some key points a nurse could bring into this meeting would be the need for why it is essential people should get access and how it will affect us nurses if people get access to healthcare. Nurses play a huge role in policy development because they are the ones who are in contact with the patients.
References
Austin, A., & Wetle, V. (2018). The United States Health Care System (3rd ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780134297927Links to an external site.Links to an external site.
University of North Carolina Wilmington Online. (2021). How nurses can shape health policy. https://onlinedegree.uncw.edu/articles/nursing/how-nurses-shape-health-policy.aspx#:~:text=Why%20Are%20Nurses%20Important%20in,language%20using%20health%20literacy%20guidelines