Prevention-Oriented Health Policy
Discussion Board Posting
- Describe factors that influence the development of prevention-oriented health policy.
- Discuss how the advanced practice nurse can promote health and prevent disease on a national and global level.
Classmate 1
Health policy is implemented at many levels from organizational to federal. Prevention oriented policy has been increasingly implemented recently. This can be seen through the removal of high sugar drinks from schools and hospitals, and smoking cessation education provided on admission to hospitals. Leser et al. (2021) share findings from their study that suggest that communities that suffer disparities due to socioeconomic disadvantages have seen health improvement when policies are instituted at the organizational level. When community organizations create partnerships with each other that address policy, environment, and systems, communities that are disadvantaged could ultimately see health improvements (Leser et al., 2021). Community churches were one organization that improved community members’ health through health promotion policy. Prevention-oriented health policy at the community level has a unique opportunity to address health disparities based on a community’s specific needs, and can utilize places that the community interacts with and trusts. When a people in a community feel seen and understood, they may be more likely to participate in health promoting activities that improve their health and wellness in a way that is tailored to their needs.
Advanced Practice Nurse Role in Health and Prevention
Nurses are the single largest group of healthcare providers. They interact with people every day in communities, hospitals, schools, and clinics. This puts them in a prime position, as a group, to influence national and global health. Advanced practice nurses have a higher education and act as providers for the community, as well as leaders and educators for nurses. Nurse practitioners, along with other advanced practice nurses, must exercise leadership and involvement at the highest levels by collaborating in policy making, doing research, and ensuring population health is part of nursing curriculum (Melnyk et al., 2016).
Sample Answer
Classmate 1
Thank you for your reply. I agree with you that health policy is implemented at numerous levels, from the organizational to federal. The process of policy implementation thus involves working with and through a set of organizations and actors to communicate the policy objectives, guarantee the accessibility of resources, attain ownership of the policy by the implementers, manage cooperation and conflict and tolerate policy changes. Prevention-based policies have shown great importance implemented in healthcare facilities and schools. These policies are seen as a key shift in the resources, from delivering responsive public services to resolve severe issues to prevention of those issues before they happen (Cairney, 2020). Having met advanced educational and clinical practice needs, Advanced Practice Nurse plays a significant role in providing health and prevention services in community-based settings. Nurses may and are required to influence the practice procedures and standards to guarantee care quality through the policy work. Nurses who impact policy help in shaping care afforded today and in the future. Policies similarly influence the allocation of resources to support health care delivery.
