NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Sample Answer for NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design Included After Question
When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.
In this Discussion, you will identify a recently proposed health policy and share your analysis of the evidence in support of this policy.
To Prepare:
- Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.
- Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy.
By Day 3 of Week 7
Post a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 7
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by either supporting or respectfully challenging their explanation on whether there is an evidence base to support the proposed health policy they described.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
The health policy selected is the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2020. A brief background about this act is (congress.gov, 2020) “this bill directs the Department of health, and human services (DHHS) and others to undertake efforts to reduce disparities”. These are disparities that exist particularly in health care.
It has been reported since 2007, HEAA has been introduced by Congressional Tri-Caucus, comprised of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
The development of HEAA builds on the gains made under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and lays out a vision of additional investments Congress should make to respond to the policy threats against the health and well-being of the underserved communities, address health disparities and ensure access to quality, affordable health care for all.
In (The health equity and accountability act, n.d.) “Over 300 racial, and health equity organizations, researchers, provider groups, and community-based organizations have contributed to the development of HEAA since its inception”.
I believe there is evidence to support the proposed policy because being a woman of color working in the behavioral health emergency department within a large metropolitan health system, and as a board certified psychiatric, and mental health registered nurse, I have experienced the disparities when providing care to people of color, health care professionals are often dismissive, and or mental health patients are provided less resources than white people. Therefore, the proposed HEAA is needed to overturn systemic disparities in mental health care.
Supporters of HEAA point to statistics that demonstrate the current lack of health equity. HEAA specifically addresses multiple issues such as (Walden University, 2021) “culturally, and linguistically appropriate care, health workforce diversity, and mental health” to mention a few.
For instance, expanding mental, and behavioral services targeting low-income, communities of color because “mental health research
has found that while mental health illness is more or less equally prevalent in all groups, members of minority groups enter treatment later and have worse outcomes” (Walden University, 2021). This policy affects me personally and professionally and as a result I am a strong supporter of the health equity and accountability act.
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References
The Health Equity and accountability act – unidosus.org. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.unidosus.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unidosus_heaafactsheet_10819.pdf
H.R.6637 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Health Equity and … (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6637
Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Walden University. (2021, November 4). The-facts-behind-the-health-equity-and-accountability-act-HEAA. Walden University. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.waldenu.edu/online-doctoral-programs/phd-in-public-health/resource/the-facts-behind-the-health-equity-and-accountability-act-heaa
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
This legislation caught my eye and it is unfortunate that we still have to deal with so much disparities at this time. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only exposed the glaring and ever-present structural racism in the United States, but it has also exposed racial/ethnic tensions, resulting to national protests for racial and social justice (Norris & Gonzalez, 2020).
The Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEEA) provides an opportunity to address this long-persisting disparities that have hindered progress towards achieving this goal of Health Equity. Looking at the provisions, this should correct deficiencies in data collection and reporting, advocate for culturally appropriate health care, improve health workforce diversity, improve health care access, address mental health and take many more actions to improve health equity (Congress.gov, n.d.).
In addition, according to Keith & Gonzalez (2020), while working on structural inequalities, it is important to improve people’s living and working environments so that they can reach their maximum potential. The United States is known for diversity but serious structural inequalities persist which has been more exposed with the current health situation in the country
References
Congress.gov. (n.d) retrieved on 1/11/2022 from https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8200/text
Keith Norris, & Cynthia Gonzalez. (2020). COVID-19, health disparities and the US election. EClinicalMedicine, 28(100617-). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100617
A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
The policy you have selected for discussion is something close to my heart. Racial disparities and inequalities have affected the United States for many years. It is still a thorn in the flesh in the healthcare delivery industry. The American healthcare system has disproportionate inequalities affecting marginalized groups and people of color. These inequalities have resulted in gaps in health insurance coverage, unequal access to healthcare services and poor healthcare outcomes among marginalized groups (Ortega & Roby, 2021). African Americans are most affected by these inequalities. I thus believe that the Health Equity and Accountability Act will help reduce healthcare disparities and inequalities.
References
Ortega, A. N., & Roby, D. H. (2021). Ending structural racism in the US health care system to eliminate health care inequities. JAMA, 326(7), 613.
A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Quality and affordable healthcare is a major concern for all Americans. Healthcare is a multifaceted issue involving cost, accessibility, safety and quality. Even though many healthcare bills are introduced into the U.S Congress, few receive the necessary support required to enact them into law. One of the pending healthcare bills in Congress is the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019. Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray sponsored this bill. If enacted, it will lower healthcare costs. This bill aims to make changes related to healthcare costs, services and coverage. It will require health insurance providers to make certain information such as out-of-pocket spending accessible to beneficiaries through technology such as mobile applications, among other provisions to reduce healthcare costs (Congress.gov, 2019).
This bill will aim to reduce out of pocket spending. This bill will eliminate surprise medical bills. Out-of-network charges expose patients to medical bills that they did not expect. In the last two years, one out of five insured adults has had unexpected surprise medical bills (Pollitz et al., 2020). This bill will aim to protect consumers from these out-of-network provider charges. This bill will create more transparency on healthcare services. Healthcare practitioners will be mandated to give their patients a list of services they received upon discharge and bill for such services within forty-five days (Congress.gov, 2019). This bill will address drug price issues. There has been a significant increase in drug prices in the United States. Approximately 25% of Americans find it hard to afford prescription medications due to high out-of-pocket spending (Rajkumar, 2020). This shows the high cost of prescription medications in the United States. This is because manufacturers keep generic drugs off the market. This bill will change requirements to expedite the production of biosimilar and generic drugs.
References
Congress.gov. (2019, July 8). S.1895 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Lower Health Care Costs Act. Congress.gov | Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1895
Pollitz, K., Lopes, L., Kearney, A., Rae, M., Cox, C., Fehr, R., & Rousseau, D. (2020). US statistics on surprise medical billing. JAMA, 323(6), 498.
Rajkumar, S. V. (2020). The high cost of prescription drugs: causes and solutions. Blood Cancer Journal, 10(6), 1-5.
A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
The prevalence of burnout and stress among are healthcare professionals date way before the COVID-19 pandemic. The reality of the US health care environment before the arrival of COVID-19 was already concerning due to shortages of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare workers (Ross, 2020). Most healthcare providers are working very long hours with less staffing. The media focus at the beginning of the pandemic was mainly on the number of ventilators and hospital beds, and completely lacking in those discussions was the question of available qualified, healthy healthcare professionals to care for the rest of the population (Ross, 2020). According to Shah et al. (2021), the covid 19 pandemic worsened burnout by worsening the already existing healthcare worker shortages in facilities and hospitals. The lack of nurses and other healthcare providers put so much pressure on the remaining few professionals to shoulder all the responsibility of providing care. The Covid 19 pandemic exacerbated the burnout rates in the healthcare workforce to the extent of suicide for some (Kaine, 2021). This discussion will review a policy that can affect all of us directly or indirectly as healthcare providers, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act addresses behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals (congrsss.gov, 2021). Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout have been studied throughout the nation, especially with the pandemic exacerbating the problem. (Kaine 2021).
Description of the health policy
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was introduced in 2020 by Senator Kaine, who has been leading the talks on the mental health impact of the pandemic on health care workers (congesss.gov, 2021). This policy aims to provide the resources for healthcare providers to get the needed care now during the pandemic and in the future (Kaine 2021). The policy calls for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to hospitals, medical professional associations, and other healthcare facilities for programs to promote mental health and resiliency among health care professionals (congesss.gov, 2021). It is also calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch a campaign encouraging health care workers to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns without consequence (Congress. Gov, 2021). As Kaine (2021) stated, the trauma that most healthcare workers are subjected to through the pandemic will leave lifelong emotional and physical damage. Thus, the need for setting this resource for the healthcare workers who risked their lives daily to save others. The grants from HHS are to provide relevant mental and behavioral health training of health care students, residents, or professionals with evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders (Kaine, 2021). In summary, the policy will focus on removing barriers to accessing care and treatment and identifying strategies to promote resiliency, thereby improving mental and behavioral health amongst healthcare providers (Congress.gov, 2021).
Evidence bases to support the proposed policy
The U.S. Senate Passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act has been praised by many organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Nurses Association (ANA), and The Physicians Foundation (THE LEGISLATION, n.d.). American Nurses Association (ANA) (2021) applauded the timely and unanimous passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act by the United States Senate on August 6th, 2021. ANA (2021) states that this critical legislation will help reduce and prevent mental and behavioral health conditions, suicide, and burnout among health care professionals who continue to be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. The bipartisan sponsorship of this policy is evidence base to support its proposal. Given the information above, this bill is a national plea for all healthcare workers to get the resources needed to manage mental health and burnout.
References
ANA Enterprise. (2021, August 11). ANA Applauds U.S. Senate Passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen
Health Care Provider Protection Act. https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2021/ana-applauds-u.s.-senate-passage-of-the-dr.-lorna-breen-health-care-provider-protection-act/
Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, S.610, 117th Cong. (2021-2022)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/610
Kaine, T. (2021, March 4). Kaine Leads Colleagues in Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to
Support Health Care Workers’ Mental Health amid COVID-19. United States Senator from Virginia. https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-leads-colleagues-in-bipartisan-bicameral-legislation-to-support-health-care-workers-mental-health-amid-covid-19
Ross, J. (2020). The Exacerbation of Burnout During COVID-19: A Major Concern for
Nurse Safety. Journal of Peri Anesthesia Nursing.
https://www.jopan.org/article/S1089-9472(20)30111-8/pdf
Shah, M.K., Gandrakota, N., Cimiotti, J.P., Ghose, N., Moore, M. & Ali, M.K. (2021, February 4).
Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Nurse Burnout in the US. JAMA.
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.36469.
THE LEGISLATION. (n.d.). The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
A Sample Answer 6 For the Assignment: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
Title: NURS 6050 Evidence Base in Design
This bill was introduced 3/21/21 and requires the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to complete a review of the deaths of veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period prior to the introduction of this bill. (Congress 2021). Data will be compiled regarding if veterans were receiving mental health care or prescribed medications. Other interventions included in this act are monitoring what specific medications were prescribed to the veterans. Predictive analytics could be used when processing the data to forecast trends. (Milstead 2019). The concern would be if the patient was on too many medications classified with a black box warning. Data will also be compiled on whether the veterans were taking their prescribed medications when they died. In 2014 the House Committee on Veteran Affairs met with families of soldiers and veterans who lost their lives because of suicide. (Watts 2014). At that time the suicide rates for veterans 29 years of age and under had increased by 44% in 2 years. The families who were at the meeting voiced concerns that the VA was slow to respond to mental health crises and even if a veteran had attempted suicide did not follow up with interventions to prevent further attempts.
Some adverse social determinants related to the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act include; if the veteran experienced violence while on active duty, housing instability when discharged from the military and financial problems. (Bosnich 2020).
I do believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy as the suicide rates continue to increase even with mental health screenings. Even with screens provided to diagnose depression or Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) some veterans could still have trouble with coping. From personal experience in my family veterans do not talk about what happened during active duty with their loved ones and could really use an impartial sounding board. It would also help to talk about this to people who had the same experience.