The practice of nurses at different capacities vary greatly depending on their setting, specialization, type of client or patient, level of rehabilitation or therapeutic approach among other factors. Moreover, various forms of nursing services take place in the societies that are constantly changing. This shows that the risk of harm is inherent in the dissemination of nursing services (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2013). On the other hand, it is the government’s sole responsibility to protect its citizens from any potential harm by ensuring competent delivery of nursing services in all healthcare centers. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nurses (2013), this is the reason why the state legislatures delegate many enforcement activities to the state administrative agencies. However, these laws affect the practice of nurses in different ways, both negatively and positively. Apart from socio-political influences brought about by legislation of nursing policies and other fators, there are economic influences that impact heavily upon the practice of nurses. Below is a brief discussion of how these political, social and economic factors influence the practice of nurses.
Social and Political Influences on the Nursing Practice
As already mentioned above, nurses operate under strict enforcement of various nursing policies. Any change in these policies also changes their service delivery. For instance, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) policy that was enacted in USA in 2010 led to complete modification of nursing practices throughout the country (Rak & Janis, 2013). Nurses operating under certain laws are either permitted or limited to carry out some practices, even if such practices are professional. The ACA allows nurses to offer services related to family planning and abortion in some exceptional circumstances. According to Catholic Health Initiatives (2016), this is against catholic faith and code of ethics. When such policies conflict with social and religious factors, nurses are likely to find themselves in a serious dissonance. Similarly, all states and territories in the US have enacted a Nursing Practice Act (NPA). This act is essential for determination of the conduct of nurses, provision of professional and academic requirements, standards and the scope of nursing. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, (2013), NPA outlines the following requirements and regulations of nursing practices:
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Standards of education programmes
Power, Authority and Composition of a board of Nursing
The scope of Nursing Practice
Requirements for the state licensure
Grounds for professional disciplinary action, violations and other remedies.
Economic Influences on the Nursing Practice
Nurses, just like other professionals, get motivated when they receive better remunerations for their services. According to a report released by American Hospital Association (2009), the practice of nurses is directly affected by economic policies in the specific economic environment within which they are operating. The report further details that economic environment can adversely hinder the quality of services as a result of lack of necessary resources required by nurses to competently discharge their services.
Kurtzman, O’Leary, Sheingold, Devers, Dawson, & Johnson, (2011) noted that apart from monthly salaries, the quality of nursing practices is higher when they receive performance-based incentives. This way, they are able to satisfy their varied needs and settle on their job, hence improved results. This fact is in accordance with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory which states that higher order needs can only be satisfied upon satisfaction of basic needs (Jerome, 2013).
Conclusion
Generally, nursing profession is highly susceptible to the impacts brought about by changes in various systems in their environment of operation. Depending on the specific domain of operation, they are forced to adjust appropriately so as to adapt to the prevailing social, political and economic circumstances. This calls for a universal law system that allows nurses to actively participate in the decision-making process of all matters regarding their services in order to minimize negative impacts of socio-political and economic factors on their services. This will ultimately ensure improved healthcare system across all states.
References
American Hospital Association. (2009). The Economic Crisis: Ongoing Monitoring of Impact on Hospitals, November 2009. PowerPoint presentation .
Catholic Health Initiatives (2016). Retrieved from http://www.catholichealthinitiatives.org/ .
Jerome, N. (2013). Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture, human resource and employee’s performance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention , 2 (3), 39-45.
Kurtzman, E. T., O’Leary, D., Sheingold, B. H., Devers, K. J., Dawson, E. M., & Johnson, J. E. (2011). Performance-based payment incentives increase burden and blame for hospital nurses. Health Affairs , 30 (2), 211-218.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2013). Nurse Practice act, rules & regulations. Retrieved October , 20 , 2013.
Rak, S., & Janis Coffin DO, F. A. A. F. P. (2013). Affordable care act. The Journal of medical practice management: MPM , 28 (5), 317.
