NRS 44O VN Topic 4 DQ 2
Sample Answer for NRS 44O VN Topic 4 DQ 2 Included After Question
NRS 44O VN Topic 4 DQ 2
Topic 4 DQ 2
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NRS 44O VN Topic 4 DQ 2
Title: NRS 44O VN Topic 4 DQ 2
Massachusetts came up with a proposed bill called Patient Safety Act in 2018. It was not brought up to legislators, instead it was posed as a ballot question to voters. The proposal sparked public debate, with both sides spending millions of dollars in campaign ads money. The bill ended in a landslide leading to its rejection by 70% of the voters. Writer suggests they should do another attempt, but this time using legislative advocacy where congress and senate can decide on its faith. Also, there should be an education to the voting public about the importance of safe nurse-patient ratio. Must be explained well about the advocacy and why it is needed.
Tung, L. (2019, November 29). Why mandated nurse-to-patient ratios have become one of the most controversial ideas in health care.
https://whyy.org/segments/why-mandated-nurse-to-patient-ratios-have-become-one-of-the-most-controversial-ideas-in-health-care/#:~:text=The%20Illinois%20Health%20and%20Hospital%20Association%20has%20been%20outspoken%20against,the%20Safe%20Patient%20Limits%20Act.
It sounds like the proposal just was not presented in the proper way. More education and advocacy for the bill should have been completed prior to sending it for voting. If the proposal was presented in a more efficient way with lobbying and supporters, allowing for much more communication and advocacy, it may have had better outcomes. Unfortunately, it is difficult sometimes to find the right individuals or groups to support an idea. Allowing for adequate time to present the idea is very important as well. If more people would understand the importance of safe nursing ratios, the outcomes may have been different.
Helbig, J. 2018. Influencing health care through Advocacy. Trends in Health Care: A nursing perspective. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/4
A problem that we continue to face in the nursing profession is the nursing shortage. For years the U.S. has been facing a nursing shortage. This was more exacerbated due to the demands on the health care system and by the COVID-19 pandemic. As more and more baby boomers continue to age and the national movement to healthcare reform are putting more strain on the already nursing shortage.
In Arizona to help address the limited capacity and the ways preventing new nurses to apply to schools. So, in order to help move people through the nursing program the House Bill 2691 was develop for this issue. It would distribute up to $15 million toward the nursing education. This would help the nursing schools be able to provide the education needed to get more nurses out in the field.
References
Dominquez, A. (2022). Arizona looks to address nursing shortage through new bill. azfamily.com. https://www.azfamily.com/2022/07/06/arizona-looks-address-nursing-shortage-through-new-bill/
Walden University. (n.d.). How is the U.S. nursing shortage being addressed? waldenu.edu. https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/nursing/resource/how-is-the-us-nursing-shortage-being-addressed
Yes a nursing shortage is a real issue according to the 2022 workforce report “the nursing shortage is here. Burnout with health care workers from the high amount of COVID-19 cases over the past two years has intensified a shortage of nurses in the state.” I am part of a float team at the hospital organization I work for and our role is to fill the holes so that the floor staff is not working short. I like my job as it has a lot of flexibility and I don’t have to deal with the drama on the floors as i am usually never in the same place multiple days in a row. I get along with everyone I work with with the exception of a few but all in all I have a great role.
Wisconsin Hospital Association. (2022). 2022 workforce report. https://www.wha.org/MediaRoom/DataandPublications/WHAReports/Workforce/2022
With the help of advocacy from nurses and their orgizatoion such as ANA, the federal government passed the opioid legislation in cotober 2018 . Opioid uses have been prevent and many due to misuse have been overdose. About 40 % of those who overdose end up dead . More than 9 million Americans overdose on opioid in 2020 according to the cdc. The effect of this overdose , is seen in many visiting the hospital and overwhelming the already overwhelmed healthcare system. According to the FDA “Opioids are claiming lives at a staggering rate, and overdoses from prescription opioids are reducing life expectancy in the United States”( fda.gov. 2021). This epidemic has render working class people and their families homeless. Working in the mental health hospital , the writer seen , had working Americans who have succumb to opioid and other drugs which may be legally prescribed and illegal drugs.
The nursing and their various organizations stepping to for this legislation is a stop to the right direction. Through the authority and legislations passed for the Nurse practitioner they can now presubscribe medication such as buprenorphine to help combat opioid dependency. (oclc.org, 2016). Opioid have separated families , it has lead to mental illnesses such as depression not only for the user but for the family ,members who have to care for their love ones. The financial burden for opioid over dose is not limited to the users , but to the communities and the nation as a whole. And a A bill to that will pharmaceutical companies accountable for dubious marketing and distribution of opioid products and also for their role in creating and the opioid epidemic in the United States sign in 2021( .congress.gov. 2020) .
References:
All info – S.1584 – 116th congress (2019-2020): Opioid crisis … (2020). Retrieved, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1584/all-info
FDA. (2021). Opioid medications. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/opioid-medication
Political advocacy: A passion for shaping health care and our practice. Login. (2016). Retrieved , from https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?
Nice information on this week’s discussion. I agree with you that opioid misuse is a large problem here in the U.S. It has gotten into such a problem that many providers became afraid to prescribe narcotic medications to those that need it. Then people started to get it off the streets such as fentanyl but the fentanyl on the streets contains other drugs that have killed many people. This has led to some patients being afraid for a nurse to provide narcotic medication for them when they are in pain. I have seen this many times when taking care of patients post-surgery. They would require education that they are being monitored and the narcotic medication would be very little with just enough to stop their pain so they can rest.
We also see this in hospice patients. Patients and their families are scared to take pain medications and we have to educate them on their disease process and how likely pain may occur at that time. We also have to educate them on their addiction concerns and end of life. Patients will have end stage illnesses and be in severe pain, but be so scared of taking pain medication because they are afraid of becoming addicted. I have seen patients with stage four cancer with metastasis to many other areas, suffer with pain all the way to the end because of these fears. Education is our greatest tool for these patients and we try everyday to make sure they know how pain and these medications affect their prognosis and their quality of life.
A group of nurses who all agree on the same issue can have a great impact on change. “Nurses have always been the patients’ advocate by providing proper care in a safe environment” (Helbig, 2018). The safe staffing for nurse and patient safety act is a bill that requires hospitals to establish a committee, composed of at least 55 percent direct care nurses, to create nurse staffing plans that are specific to each unit. Patients risk longer hospital stays, increased infections, and avoidabl
Nurse advocacy is a fundamental aspect of attaining quality outcomes for patients through efforts to influence legislations by nurses at both state and federal levels. Through advocacy, nurses pled for and actively champion for as well as support causes and proposals by different stakeholders like legislators focused on enhancing health outcomes.
Through their advocacy activities, the Texas Nurse Practitioners (TNP) have ensured that the state legislature passes a host of healthcare-related bills in the last two years. Among the bills passed due to the advocacy activities of TNP is a nursing bill concerned mental health issues in schools. The School Mental Health, HB 19, is a legislation that mandates districts to include evidence-based practices and trauma as well as grief-informed care to their improvement plans (TNP, 2018). The legislation also requires continuing education for school stakeholders like teachers and principals in providing educational materials to students who have mental health conditions and intellectual and development disabilities. The legislation mandates the state to create and develop guidelines for partnerships with local mental health authorities (LMHAs) and providers to develop an effective framework of mental health provision at the community level. 
Further, the legislation requires schools to give notifications to parents if they do not have a school nurse and counselor to deal with students’ problems. Through the legislation, schools can develop models that will enhance health care of their students and local mental health authorities implement interventions that are based on evidence and quality care delivery. The cost of care as well as quality concerns are the main driving forces for change (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Therefore, the legislation will allow state residents to access mental health care at affordable cost with quality outcomes to match their needs.
References
Salmond, S. W. & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare Transformation and Changing Roles for
Nursing. Orthopedic Nursing, 36(1): 12-25.
Texas Nurse Practitioners (TNP) (2018). 86th Legislative Session: Recap. Retrieved from
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.texasnp.org/resource/resmgr/advocacy/2019_TNP_Legislative_Recap_F.pdf
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