The experience that nurses have gained in the daily application of their skills places them in a unique position to aid in the formation of policies that directly or indirectly affect the healthcare system. Since nurses are at the frontline of healthcare provision they best placed to provide insights as to the effectiveness of services rendered. Hence their input should prove quite valuable in determining if policies in place are meeting patient needs (Hofler, 2006). With the continual rise in medical costs and inconsistent quality of service, it is now more apparent than ever that the service deliverables of national healthcare should be carefully interrogated and recommendations made where necessary (Carey, 2006). We therefore look at the possible opportunities available for nurses to contribute in policy making and the challenges therein.
One of the ways that nurses can help to effect change is through advocacy. They can then join other advocates and leverage the fact that they are the largest group of health service providers to seek policy making opportunities to present their perspective. Another method that nurses can use to make a difference is by seeking public office (Hofler, 2006). An elected official who is also a member of a large professional organization holds a lot of influence in policy making. Advocacy working and politics is challenging and requires time and effort to prepare and garner the requisite experience (Holmes et al., 2002). However, to be able to introduce and orient those up to the challenges of the advocacy and political world, state run nursing organizations promote legislative days, conduct policy workshops and offer internships where nurses can learn about the legislative process and prevailing healthcare matters.
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One strategy that can be used to increase the effectiveness of advocacy is to understand how the legislative process works. From the introduction of the bill through the hearings to the final vote. This also entails educating the legislators on the significance a particular bill and even identifying the right legislator that will sponsor it. An excellent example was seen from how Patti Moss and Iva Hall successfully navigated the process until it became law (Hall et al., 2000). Another strategy is by using advocates to assist the legislators examine and eventually decide on how to vote on issues. This is because legislators have to deal with numerous bills most of which on matters they lack technical competence. As experts in healthcare, they can keep in contact with legislators and can guide and explain any difficult matters.
References
Carey, M.A. (2006). U.S. scores poorly on health scorecard. Washington Health Policy Week in Review.
Hall, I. & Moss, P. (2000). Nursing and the legislative process: a successful outcome. Texas Nursing 74 (10), 4-6.
Hofler, L.D. (2006). Learning from the best: The benefits of a structured health policy fellowship in developing nursing health policy leaders. Policy, Politics & NursingPractice 7 (2), 110-113.
Holmes, D. & Gastaldo, D. (2002). Nursing as means of governmentality. Journal of Advanced Nursing 38 (6), 557-565.
