course materials

1. Advocating Through Policy – Empire Essays
Advocating Through PolicyAs noted by Dr. Stanley and Dr. White in this week’s media
presentation, professional nurses should be engaging in advocacy efforts to improve health
and nursing practice through involvement in the policy process at the institutional, local,
state, or federal levels. This array of possibilities for involvement provides opportunities for
all nurses, regardless of time, or other possible constraints. Successful policy making is a
collaborative effort, and one that commands mutual respect from all involved. Your
involvement in policy making can lead to expanded opportunities as both a nurse leader
and as a respected member of an interprofessional health care team.Note: This Discussion
provides a forum for discussing advocacy opportunities and honing your presentation skills
in a small group setting.To prepare:Reflect on the insights offered by Dr. Stanley and Dr.
White on engaging in advocacy through the policy process.Identify a practice issue that
is of interest to you and that could benefit from advocacy efforts through the policy
process.Consider the stakeholders and any special interest or professional organizations
that would your issue.Develop a short, yet persuasive PowerPoint (up to 3 slides IN APA
FORMAT) as follows:1) Identify the practice issue that would benefit from being addressed
through the policy process2) Represent the key stakeholders (i.e. use graphical images
when possible)3) Propose one strategy for how a nurse could advocate for this issueThe
PowerPoint should be succinct, visually appealing, and effective.By Tuesday 5/8/18
6pmPost your PowerPoint presentation.Required ReadingsBodenheimer, T., & Grumbach,
K. (2016). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (7th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Medical.Chapter 17, “Conclusion: Tensions and Challenges” This chapter
concludes with final thoughts on the challenge of providing quality health care and
controlling health care costs. The solution is likely to be resolved only by a collaborative
approach, involving all health care stakeholders, and by health professionals taking the
lead.Howard, J., Levy, F., Mareiniss, D. P., Craven, C. K., McCarthy, M., Epstein-Peterson, Z. D.,
& et al. (2010). New legal protections for reporting patient errors under the Patient Safety
and Quality Improvement Act: A review of the medical literature and analysis. Journal of
Patient Safety, 6(3), 147-152.The authors studied the dissemination of information on the
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA), a federal act that affords protection to
those reporting medical errors. They found medical literature to be inadequate in this
regard, and as a result, medical personnel were uninformed on their legal protections. This
lack of information has become a barrier to policy implementation.Jacobson, N., Butterill, D.,
& Goering, P. (2003). Development of a framework for knowledge translation:

2. Understanding user context. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 8(2), 94–99.Lau,
B., San Miguel, S., & Chow, J. (2010). Policy and clinical practice: Audit tools to measure
adherence. Renal Society of Australasia Journal, 6(1), 36–40.The authors study the
compliance to renal-care policies by health care professionals. They conclude with the
necessity for nurses to evidence-based protocols as well as to obtain continuing education
on new protocols.McCracken, A. (2010). Advocacy: It is time to be the change. Journal of
Gerontological Nursing, 36(3), 15-17.The author proposes that nurses, as patient advocates,
need to be more involved in the making of health care policy instead of reacting to policies
that are constantly changing. The article provides a guide to help organize initial policy
efforts.Nannini, A., & Houde, S. C. (2010). Translating evidence from systematic reviews for
policy makers. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 36(6), 22–26.The article cites
geronotological nurses as examples of those who are able to translate research into policy
briefs that can be clearly understood by policy makers. Geronotological nurses are in this
unique position because of their clinical experience and educational background.Paterson,
B. L., Duffet-Leger, L., & Cuttenden, K. (2009). Contextual factors influencing the evolution of
nurses’ roles in a primary health care clinic. Public Health Nursing, 26(5), 421-429.This
article provides details on a study conducted in a nurse-managed clinic related to the
changing roles of nurses. The authors found that nurses, in response to social, political, and
economic forces, became involved in advocacy for the clinic through political action,
government funding issues, and media relations roles.Sistrom, M. (2010). Oregon’s Senate
bill 560: Practical policy lessons for nurse advocates. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice,
11(1), 29-35. doi: 10.1177/1527154410370786The author uses the efforts by a nurse
advocate in lobbying for an Oregon bill related to healthy food in public schools to illustrate
nurse advocacy and policy making. The bill, developed in response to childhood obesity, did
not immediately become law. The author concludes with the importance of considering the
political environment when creating successful policy.Spenceley, S. M., Reutter, L., & Allen,
M. N. (2006). The road less traveled: Nursing advocacy at the policy level. Policy, Politics, &
Nursing Practice, 7(3), 180-194. doi: 10.1177/1527154410370786Nurses have always
been advocates at the patient-level of care, but the authors of this article promote the need
for all nurses to become advocates at the policy level as well. They discuss factors that have
kept nurses from getting involved with policy making and they provide strategies to resolve
these challenges.Wyatt, E. (2009). Health policy advocacy: Oncology nurses make a
difference. ONS Connect, 24(10), 12-15.The author presents information on two nurses who
have become health care policy advocates—one as a policy maker and one as an elected
legislator. Both have been able to use their perspectives from their nursing careers to affect
health policy.Zomorodi, M., & Foley, B. J. (2009). The nature of advocacy vs. paternalism in
nursing: Clarifying the ‘thin line.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(8), 1746-1752.The
authors attempt to distinguish the concepts of advocating for a patient and paternalism, or
overriding a patient’s wishes. They provide clinical examples to illustrate the differences
between these concepts, and they conclude with strategies to use in practice.Required
MediaLaureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Healthcare policy and
advocacy: Advocating through policy. Baltimore: Author.Note: The approximate length of
this media piece is 7 minutes.In this media presentation, Dr. Joan Stanley and Dr. Kathleen

3. White discuss how nurses can influence practice and engage in advocacy through the policy
process.Optional ResourcesBirnbaum, D. (2009). North American perspectives: POA, HAC
and never events. Clinical Governance: An International Journal, 14(3), 242–244.