Policy analysis seeks to provide an analysis of existing issues within a policy and determining recommendations applicable by the client in addressing such challenges. In the healthcare sector, policy analysis seeks to address clients, healthcare providers, and policy formulators as the key stakeholders in the community who should be consider ed when addressing the effectiveness of a policy in meeting the intended purpose. The opioid crisis has been an issue in the United States with a majority of patients from the community having an overdose In effect, people from the community develop complications especially after the implementation of the expanded healthcare access for all people. The opioid crisis causes political and humanitarian issues in the community.
Problems
In an attempt of addressing the Opioid crisis facing many states in the United States, there is a need for considering several problems associated with the policy. For instance, the epidemic and current state policy remain ineffective as there are increased deaths associated with opioid s . The current policy relies on access to fentanyl and heroin in addressing the issues associated with overdose. Despite the increased concern for addressing such challenges, it is undeniable that there has been increasing deaths of people. According to Crossley (2019) , over the last three quarters, 76% of healthcare centers in the expansion states have recorded an increase in the number of patients with addiction. This information indicates that whenever there is a single misuse of a drug, there is a high probability of death.
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Healthcare providers face challenges in addressing the needs of the large capacity of workers seeking Opioid treatment processes. Medicaid expansion states fail to report an increase in the number of people with opioid addiction thus expanding the problem. The opioid crisis has also resulted in adverse effects that affect the entire community. Opioid addiction has resulted in increased issues associated with thefts . For instance, addicted patients in society fail to get proper treatment because of inadequate access to information needed in addressing addiction associated with heroin and among other used drugs. Crime becomes an issue in the community as people try to get resources for use in accessing the drugs. In addition to the 61% caused by opioid overdose in America, social crimes have also increased over the last decade accompanied by the development of hepatitis c (.Crossley, 2019). Opioid misuse h as also resulted in an increment in the rate of resource misuse in the United States as people spend much of their resources in an attempt of addressing opioid addiction and advanced disorders such as hepatitis c.
Recommendations
Though the problem has become intense in many states especially America, Opioid crisis is addressable through the application of different treatment approaches. The intervention mechanisms require the intervention of community and policy formulators in helping affected clients to seek intervention mechanism in offering treatment. For example, clients have an opportunity for seeking medication-assisted treatment (Naegle et al., 2017). The primary objective of this treatment approach is counseling which increases the capability for patients to experience intervention mechanisms that seek to change the behavior of the client. Health care providers and patients also need to choose one of the following three drugs to accompany the counseling process methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Services are available in approximately 48% of hospitals in the United States that offer counseling treatment.
Clients can also access treatment for the opioid crisis by increasing an opportunity for patients to access the buprenorphine treatment approach. For instance, there needs to be an increased number of healthcare providers to undergo training on the mechanisms they have to apply in administering buprenorphine treatment to opioid victims. Healthcare providers are licensed from the Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000 and are trained on circumstances under which they have to administer such drugs (Dhalla et al., 2011). Physicians who receive a waiver in the community need to be increased with an objective of avoiding excessive addiction in society.
Healthcare providers create an opportunity for patients to choose e injectable naltrexone which is also applied in reducing the severity associated with opioid crisis (Naegle et al., 2017). Nearly all the hospitals with trained physicians have access to counseling approach and choosing the naltrexone treatment approach. Since the challenge of accessing such activities originate from the fact that people develop alternative opportunities to address these challenges, a community should take an active role in providing resources for training physicians and creating access to opioid treatment to clinicians.
Evaluation criteria
Though there are three different treatment approaches for addressing the opioid crisis, there is a need for evaluating the availability of services in the healthcare centers and availability of physicians to address such problems. For example, 48% of hospitals have access to guidance and counseling department but they may not have physicians trained to offer any of the three drugs prescribed to offer reversal addict among the patients (Zue et al., 2018). In effect, the treatment process should evaluate if there is the availability of the needed intervention mechanisms. Healthcare providers also need to consider the severity of the condition of the patient before prescribing the treatment intervention approach. For instance, some conditions of addiction need intervention by counseling rather than prescribing drugs
References
Crossley, M. (2019). Opioids and Converging Interests. Seton Hall Law Review, Forthcoming.
Zur J., Tolbert J.,, Sharac J., & Markus A., (2018). The Role of Community Health Centers in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Naegle, M., Mitchell, A. M., Flinter, M., Dunphy, L., Vanhook, P., & Delaney, K. R. (2017). Opioid misuse epidemic: Addressing opioid prescribing and organization initiatives for holistic, safe and compassionate care. Nursing outlook, 65(4), 477-479.
Dhalla, I. A., Persaud, N., & Juurlink, D. N. (2011). Facing up to the prescription opioid crisis. Bmj, 343, d5142.
