The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy Evaluation Discussion Essay

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy Evaluation Discussion Essay

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy Evaluation Discussion Essay

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy Evaluation
Evaluating healthcare systems and policies is essential, and professional nurses play a crucial part in this process. The knowledge and skills of nurses, who are often at the forefront of implementing healthcare programs and policies, can shed light on the efficacy and impact of such initiatives. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one healthcare scheme currently in place that could be focused on in this scenario. The federal government enacted this policy with the intention of providing more individuals, especially the uninsured, with access to low-cost medical care (Jackson et al., 2019). The ACA mandated that all Americans obtain health insurance or pay a fine, as well as establishing health insurance marketplaces and expanding Medicaid.

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The expansion of healthcare coverage, the decrease in healthcare expenses, and the enhancement of healthcare outcomes are some of the indicators used to evaluate the ACA’s success. These standards were tested in a number of different ways, including polls, data mining, and looking back at healthcare patterns from before the ACA. This policy was aimed at enhancing affordable care for the majority of people in the country. The number of people who became eligible for Medicaid as a result of the ACA, their use of healthcare services, and the effect on healthcare outcomes like hospitalizations and emergency department visits might all be measured in an evaluation.
RNs and APRNs can participate in the evaluation of policies such as the ACA to ensure the policy is helping to achieve its stated objectives of expanding people’s ability to afford healthcare and bettering their health status. In this ACA, nurses would contribute to the policy evaluation by assessing the impact of policy on patient outcomes, identifying barriers to access, and advocating for relevant changes in the policy (Zhao et al., 2020). Collecting and analyzing data on healthcare utilization, healthcare costs, and healthcare outcomes, including hospitalizations and emergency room visits, allows nurses to examine the effect of the ACA policy on patient outcomes. The policy’s ability to improve people’s health can be gauged with the help of this information. Healthcare access issues that may be addressed by the ACA policy can be identified by these nurses. If nurses notice a deficit in preventative care or mental health services, for instance, they may push for legislative reforms to fill the void (Schaeffer & Haebler, 2019). Lastly, the nursing profession has a unique opportunity to promote policy shifts that expand patient access to healthcare. To reduce healthcare disparities and increase patient access, nurses can collaborate with policymakers and other stakeholders to advance legislation.
Professional nurses play an essential role in the evaluation of healthcare policies and programs because of the unique perspective they bring to the table. Evaluating healthcare policies and programs like the Affordable Care Act is essential for ensuring they are effective in improving health and reducing inequities in healthcare access and outcomes (Scott & Scott, 2021). Income, education level, and race are all examples of social determinants that may have an effect on a person’s ability to gain access to and benefit from medical care. These determinants have to be taken into consideration in the evaluation process as well. So, it is crucial that the evaluation takes into consideration how the Medicaid expansion will affect these social factors. The evaluation may look at how expanding Medicaid has affected health inequalities between groups of different races and socioeconomic statuses, for instance.
 
References
Jackson, H. A., Oliver, J. S., & House, K. (2019). Evaluation of the Pronouncement of Death Policy Implementation and Outcomes: Implications for Advanced Practice Nursing. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 21(2), 139-143. DOI: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000504
Schaeffer, R., & Haebler, J. (2019). Nurse leaders: extending your policy influence. Nurse Leader, 17(4), 340-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2019.05.010
Scott, S. M., & Scott, P. A. (2021). Nursing, advocacy, and public policy. Nursing Ethics, 28(5), 723-733. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020961
Zhao, J., Mao, Z., Fedewa, S. A., Nogueira, L., Yabroff, K. R., Jemal, A., & Han, X. (2020). The Affordable Care Act and access to care across the cancer control continuum: a review at ten years. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 70(3), 165-181. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21604

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POLICY EVALUATION

In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making. A critical component of any policy design is evaluation of the results. How comfortable are you with the thought of becoming involved with such matters?

Some nurses may be hesitant to get involved with policy evaluation. The preference may be to focus on the care and well-being of their patients; some nurses may feel ill-equipped to enter the realm of policy and political activities. However, as you have examined previously, who better to advocate for patients and effective programs and polices than nurses? Already patient advocates in interactions with doctors and leadership, why not with government and regulatory agencies?

In this Discussion, you will reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation.

To Prepare:

In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making.

Review the Resources and reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation.

Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.

Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.

Write an evaluation topic and a brief description of the evaluation. Discuss how social determinants impact this issue.