The development of appropriate healthcare policy is one of the challenges that are facing the healthcare sector. NR506 course has enabled me to not only understand the development of healthcare policy but also how it affects nurses, including the healthcare system as a whole. Importantly, I have learned that the development of healthcare policy is influenced by many local and global forces, making one of the most complicated and complex processes. Politics plays a significant role in the development and enforcement of health care policies. Thus, based on the concepts and practices I have learned in the course, the development of local and global health policy should involve many stakeholder consultations.
The article "The economic burden of physical inactivity: A global analysis of major non-communicable diseases, " by Ding et al. (2016), clearly shows that physical inactivity is costly to both individuals and the entire economy because it results in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like obesity and diabetes. Shockingly, the world spends about $67.5 billion annually on NCDs, even though such diseases can easily be prevented, especially through physical exercise (Ding et al., 2016). Also, physical inactivity costs about 5 million deaths every year across the globe (Ding et al., 2017). Therefore, based on the information contained in the article, nurses can make informed decisions on the nursing practice and patient outcomes if they rely on evidence-based practices. Importantly, nursing decisions should be based on empirical evidence that can be generalized to the entire target population. The article, for instance, provides empirical evidence about the cost of physical inactivity, which nurses and the government can rely on to make relevant policy to reduce sedentary lifestyle.
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Finally, I believe that what I have learned in the course will be relevant in my upcoming practicum experience. Specifically, I will use the knowledge and what I have learned in the course to help in the development of local policies that can improve the quality of care services. At the same time, I will apply what I have learned in the course to understand the consequences and impact of policy development, especially in the nursing practice. Therefore, the course will be helpful in my practicum experience.
References
Ding, D., Kolbe-Alexander, T., Nguyen, B., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Pratt, M., & Lawson, K. D. (2017). The economic burden of physical inactivity: A systematic review and critical appraisal. British Journal of Sports Medicine , 51 (19), 1392-1409.
Ding, D., Lawson, K. D., Kolbe-Alexander, T. L., Finkelstein, E. A., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Van Mechelen, W., ... & Lancet Physical Activity Series 2 Executive Committee. (2016). The economic burden of physical inactivity: A global analysis of major non-communicable diseases. The Lancet , 388 (10051), 1311-1324.
