NURS 8100 Week 3: The Policy Process
Sample Answer for NURS 8100 Week 3: The Policy Process Included After Question
This week, you will investigate the process of creating health care policy beginning with agenda setting and the policy proposal. How does an issue move along the continuum from simple discussion to policy development? How do you identify key stakeholders and enlist their support in moving a health care issue forward?
To gain experience in the policy process, you will critically analyze recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s The Future of Nursing report brief and create a policy brief based on your analysis. These are skills that advanced nursing practice requires, and which support your ability to participate in public policy making at all levels: institutional, local, state, national, and international.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Develop strategies for raising clinical practice issues to an organization’s systematic agenda
- Critically analyze a health policy proposal from the perspective of consumers, nurses, other health professionals, and additional stakeholders
- Develop a scholarly and professionally written policy brief
Photo Credit: [Westend61]/[Brand X Pictures]/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Hyder, A., Syed, S., Puvanachandra, P., Bloom, G., Sundaram, S., Mahmood, S., … Peters, D. (2010). Stakeholder analysis for health research: case studies from low- and middle-income countries. Public Health, 124(3), 159–166.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
This study demonstrates how the engagement of stakeholders in research and policy making can assist in the successful implementation of policy proposals. The authors propose that by engaging stakeholders, researchers and policy makers are provided with multiple perspectives on proposed policies, which can lead to greater success with policy adoption and implementation.
Lavis, J. N., Permanand, G., Oxman, A. D., Lewin, S., & Fretheim, A. (2009). SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 13: Preparing and using policy briefs to support evidence-informed policymaking. Health Research Policy & Systems, 71–79. doi: 10.1186/1478-4505-7-S1-S13
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
The purpose of a policy brief is to communicate an issue clearly and definitively to policy makers. The authors of this article propose an outline for policy briefs and also stress the importance of using research when creating a policy brief.
Lowery, B. (2009). Obesity, bariatric nursing, and the policy process: The connecting points for patient advocacy. Bariatric Nursing & Surgical Patient Care, 4(2), 133–138.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
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This article provides an example of nurse involvement in policy making by examining a bariatric nursing issue. The author stresses that nurses, in their patient-advocacy role, have a responsibility to be involved in the health care policy process.
Moore, K. (2006). How can basic research on children and families be useful for the policy process? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52(2), 365–375.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Healthcare policy and advocacy: Agenda setting and the policy process. Baltimore: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 17 minutes.
Accessible player –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript
Optional Resources
Barnes, M., Hanson, C., Novilla, L., Meacham, A., McIntyre, E., & Erickson, B. (2008). Analysis of media agenda setting during and after Hurricane Katrina: Implications for emergency preparedness, disaster response, and disaster policy. American Journal of Public Health, 98(4), 604–610.
Jennings, C. (2002). The power of the policy brief. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 3(3), 261–263. doi: 10.1177/152715440200300310
Neumann, P. J., Palmer, J. A., Daniels, N., Quigley, K., Gold, M. R., & Chao, S. (2008). A strategic plan for integrating cost-effectiveness analysis into the US health care system. American Journal of Managed Care, 14(4), 185-188.
Discussion: Agenda Setting
A key aspect of the policy process is agenda setting. How do topics get on that agenda? Agenda setting requires the support of stakeholders to move the issue forward. In this week’s media presentation, Dr. Kathleen White outlines the policy process and discusses how to move issues into the policy arena through agenda setting. The ultimate goal is to gain the attention of leadership whether at the organizational, local, state, national, or international level.
To prepare:
- Review this week’s media presentation, focusing on the insights shared by Dr. White and Dr. Stanley on agenda setting and identification of stakeholders.
- Brainstorm clinical practice issues that you believe are worthy of being on your organization’s systematic agenda.
- Who are the stakeholders who would be interested in this clinical practice issue?
By Day 3
Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
- In the first line of your posting, identify the clinical practice issue you would like to see on your organization’s systematic agenda.
- What strategies would you use to inform stakeholders and persuade them of the importance of your identified clinical practice issue?
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues providing additional strategies for informing and persuading stakeholders. Include additional research evidence that supports the importance of their identified clinical practice issue.
Note: Please see the Syllabus and Discussion Rubric for formal Discussion question posting and response evaluation criteria.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments made by your colleagues.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources.
Assignment 1: Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Continue to work on this Application, assigned in Week 2 and due in Week 9.
You should be actively scheduling your interview appointment. As you begin considering the health issue you intend to discuss with your interviewee, determine where it is on the public’s agenda: the systematic or formal agenda. How might you persuade your interviewee of the importance of this issue? How could your interviewee assist with getting this issue on the systematic or formal agenda?
Assignment 2: Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)
Nurses engaged in the policy arena often are asked to provide information on a health care topic of interest to policy makers. This is frequently accomplished through developing a policy brief. A policy brief advocates for a particular recommendation (prior to the enactment of a policy). Learning how to write a policy brief in a clear, succinct, scholarly, and professional manner is an essential skill for advanced practice nurses.
For this Assignment, you will assess one of the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health: Report Recommendations. You will then develop a policy brief to advocate for this recommendation (the written policy brief is due in Week 7).
To prepare:
- Review the Lavis et al. article on preparing and writing policy briefs provided in the Learning Resources.
- Select one of the recommendations within the IOM The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health: Report Recommendationsto focus on for this assignment.
- Research the history of the problem behind the recommendation and what has been done to try to solve the problem.
- What does the recommendation say should be done? Are there any groups, nursing and others, currently supporting work to implement the recommendation (e.g., Kaiser Family Foundation, professional organizations)? Does the recommendation suggest specific groups that should be involved in the implementation? Think critically about how the recommendation should be implemented – did the IOM get it right? What other strategies are possible to consider?
By Day 7 of Week 7
To complete:
- Develop a scholarly and professionally written 2- to 3-page single-spaced policy brief on the recommendation you selected from the IOM report following the format presented in the Lavis et al. article. Include the following:
- Short introduction with statement of the problem.
- The selected recommendation (from the IOM Report)
- Background
- Current characteristics
- The impact of the recommendation from the perspective of consumers, nurses, other health professionals, and additional stakeholders
- Current solutions
- Current status in the health policy arena
- Final conclusions
- Resources used to create the policy brief
Due by Day 7 of Week 7. Complete instructions for submitting your Assignment are provided in the Week 7 Assignment area.
Note: You will post a summary of your policy brief in the Week 7 Discussion.
Week in Review
This week, you developed strategies for raising clinical practice issues to an organizations agenda and also developed a scholarly and professionally written policy brief. You also analyzed a health policy proposal from the perspective of consumers, nurses, and other health professionals and stakeholders.
Next week, you will examine policy process and discover how frameworks from nursing and other disciplines can work together to inform policy analysis.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8100 Week 3: The Policy Process
Title: NURS 8100 Week 3: The Policy Process
As the chair of the Nurse Peer Review Council at my institution, we review many problems that arise from clinical practice issues that are unresolved. In the first two months of 2022, we have reviewed clinical practice issues with the nurse-to-nurse handoff, staffing shortages, and failures to escalate the chain of command.
I have been a perinatal services director for over 10 years and in my time as a leader, I have often felt that the patient ratios in the perinatal services arena are not in alignment with the Association of Women’s Health and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) staffing acuity guidelines. Although these guidelines were created in 2010 to promote caring for patients in the perinatal period in a safe manner based on the acuity of the patient (Simpson et al., 2019) hospital financial colleagues do not understand the importance, and frequently these guidelines have to be overlooked to maintain compliance financially. The guidelines break down different types of diagnosis and acuity of specific clinical care scenarios and rank them into categories. This information is further broken down into the number of FTEs that would be appropriate to care for this type of patient. An example would be that any patient that is pushing while in labor would require a 1:1 patient ratio whereas three patients in triage could be cared for by one nurse. The problem with this is that patients can move in and out of different levels of acuity based on their course of labor up to and after delivery. From a financial and productivity perspective this does not make sense. Staffing for a patient that begins at the lowest level of acuity then turns into the highest level of acuity, and then back to a moderate level of acuity after delivery is hard to measure from a productivity standpoint. This is even harder to maintain if departments are held to a productivity standard that is not in alignment with the patient ratios that mirror actual care a patient needs to receive during their hospital stay. The result is less safe care for patients, poor outcomes for mothers and infants, and staff dissatisfaction and burnout (Simpson, 2016).
I am currently working with an internal PI specialist piloting a program for the health care system that involves assessing the AWHONN staffing acuity guidelines and how often my labor and delivery unit is overstaffed or understaffed based on the AWHONN staffing acuity guidelines. We have collected eight months of data and have now created a presentation for the senior leadership team to help inform them of the need to deploy additional resources at a certain time of the day and on certain days of the week. This additional resource would increase the safety of care being provided to mothers and infants.
Some of the strategies I have used up to this point are in an agency for healthcare and research quality toolkit (AHRQ). The strategies include having a well-outlined plan that involves getting the right people on the team for the project, identifying a champion, communicating regularly with the stakeholders, and moving systematically through the stages of a project (www.ahrq.gov). By doing this the end-user has a well-developed objective presentation to support the need for a change. The importance of presenting a proposal that not only includes the need for change based on safety, but needs to include the financial, and operational impacts also.
References:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (October, 2014). Designing and Implementing Medicaid Disease and Care Management Programs. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/long-term-care/resource/hcbs/medicaidmgmt/mm2.html
Simpson, K. R., Lyndon, A., Spetz, J., Gay, C. L., & Landstrom, G. L. (2019). Incorporation of the AWHONN Nurse Staffing Guidelines into Clinical Practice. Nurse Women’s Health, 23(3), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2019.03.003
Simpson, K. R., Lyndon, A., & Ruhl, C. (2016). Consequences of inadequate staffing include missed care, potential failure to rescue, and job stress and dissatisfaction. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 45(4), 481–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2016.02.011
Select Grid View or List View to change the rubric’s layout.
Name: NURS_8100_Week3_Discussion_Rubric
Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | |
RESPONSIVENESS TO DISCUSSION QUESTION
Discussion post minimum requirements: *The original posting must be completed by Wednesday, Day 3, at 11:59pm MST. Two response postings to two different peer original posts, on two different days, are required by Saturday, Day 6, at 11:59pm MST. Faculty member inquiries require responses, which are not included in the minimum number of posts. Your Discussion Board postings should be written in standard edited English and follow APA style for format and grammar as closely as possible given the constraints of the online platform. Be sure to support the postings with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources as well as resources available through the Walden University online databases. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct. |
8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses exceed the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; – Go beyond what is required in some meaningful way (e.g., the post contributes a new dimension, unearths something unanticipated); -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence. – Demonstrate significant ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources as well as additional resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings; -Exceed the minimum requirements for discussion posts*. |
7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses meet the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: -Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence.re -Demonstrate ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings -Meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*. |
6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses are minimally responsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or -May (lack) lack in depth, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence; and/or -Do not adequately demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or has posted by the due date at least in part. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*. |
0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses are unresponsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or – Lack in substance, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or does not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*. |
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE | 8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate in-depth understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; – are well supported by pertinent research/evidence from a variety of and multiple peer- reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; -Demonstrate significant mastery and thoughtful/accurate application of content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course. |
7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate understanding and application of the concepts and issues presented in the course, presented with some understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; -are supported by research/evidence from peer-reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; and · demonstrate some mastery and application of content, applicable skills, or strategies presented in the course. |
6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses: – demonstrate minimal understanding of concepts and issues presented in the course, and, although generally accurate, display some omissions and/or errors; –lack support by research/evidence and/or the research/evidence is inappropriate or marginal in quality; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic – demonstrate minimal content, skills or strategies presented in the course. ——-Contain numerous errors when using the skills or strategies presented in the course |
0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses demonstrate: -A lack of understanding of the concepts and issues presented in the course; and/or are inaccurate, contain many omissions and/or errors; and/or are not supported by research/evidence; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic -Many critical errors when discussing content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course. |
CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION | 8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses significantly contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: -providing Rich and relevant examples; discerning and thought-provoking ideas; and stimulating thoughts and probes; – -demonstrating original thinking, new perspectives, and extensive synthesis of ideas supported by the literature. |
7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by -providing relevant examples; thought-provoking ideas – Demonstrating synthesis of ideas supported by the literature |
6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses minimally contribute to the quality of discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: – providing few and/or irrelevant examples; and/or – providing few if any thought- provoking ideas; and/or -. Information that is restated from the literature with no/little demonstration of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas. |
0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses do not contribute to the quality of interaction/discussion and thinking and learning as they do not: -Provide examples (or examples are irrelevant); and/or -Include interesting thoughts or ideas; and/or – Demonstrate of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas |
QUALITY OF WRITING | 6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses exceed doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is clear, concise, and appropriate to doctoral level writing; · Make few if any errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Use original language and refrain from directly quoting original source materials; -provide correct APA · Are positive, courteous, and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints. |
5 (16.67%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses meet doctoral -level writing expectations. They: ·Use grammar and syntax that is clear and appropriate to doctoral level writing; ; · Make a few errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · paraphrase but refrain from directly quoting original source materials; Provide correct APA format · Are courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints;. |
4 (13.33%) – 4 (13.33%)
Discussion postings and responses are minimally below doctoral-level writing expectations. They: · Make more than occasional errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Directly quote from original source materials and/or paraphrase rather than use original language; lack correct APA format; and/or · Are less than courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints. |
0 (0%) – 3 (10%)
Discussion postings and responses are well below doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is that is unclear · Make many errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; and –use incorrect APA format · Are discourteous and disrespectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints. |
NURS 8100 Week 3: The Policy Process Grading Rubric
Performance Category | 100% or highest level of performance
100% 16 points |
Very good or high level of performance
88% 14 points |
Acceptable level of performance
81% 13 points |
Inadequate demonstration of expectations
68% 11 points |
Deficient level of performance
56% 9 points
|
Failing level
of performance 55% or less 0 points |
Total Points Possible= 50 | 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points |
Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics. |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements
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16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points | |
Application of Course Knowledge
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements
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10 Points | 9 Points | 6 Points | 0 Points | |||
Interactive Dialogue
Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic. |
Demonstrated all of the following:
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Demonstrated 3 of the following:
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Demonstrated 2 of the following:
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Demonstrated 1 or less of the following:
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8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | |
Grammar, Syntax, APA
Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error. |
The following was present:
AND
AND
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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0 Points Deducted | 5 Points Lost | |||||
Participation
Requirements |
Demonstrated the following:
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Failed to demonstrate the following:
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0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | |||||
Due Date Requirements | Demonstrated all of the following:
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
Demonstrates one or less of the following.
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |