NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay

Discussion Post: Week 8

Advocacy

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Needs of Veterans and their families
Two types of health needs for returning veterans and their families are support for individuals with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to Seal, Bertenthal, Samuelson, Maguen, Kumar and Vasterling (2016), a large number of American people have been injured overseas due to explosions and other war-related issues. PTSD is also very prevalent due to being in the high-stress environment of combat. According to Seamone, McGuire, Sreenivasan, Clark, Smee and Dow (2014), “PTSD and traumatic brain injuries are the invisible wounds of war” (pg. 2). It has been noted that veterans have a high prevalence of homelessness along with issues of getting the appropriate health insurance to take care of their needs. Veterans also struggle with easing back into civilian life and often struggle with psychiatric problems coupled with drug and alcohol addiction. (Jackonis, Deyton and Hess, 2008). It is imperative that veterans receive the mental health and medical care they need to thrive in society.NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay
Ways to Advocate for Veterans
There are numerous ways to advocate for the veteran population. According to The International Council of Nurses (2008), nurses can use their voice to represent individuals who are suffering. An advocate can also empower veterans to speak up for themselves. Nurses can also play the part of an interceder, encouraging dialogue between individuals.nurs 6050 Essay Assignments Advocates can bring the concerns of veterans to policymakers to initiate public policy. “It is imperative for nurses to be involved in hospital or community-based groups, professional associations for veterans and special interest groups”(p.12). Just being involved and showing that you care can also serve as advocating. Providing a listening ear can speak volumes to someone who just needs someone to talk to. These are all ways that nurses can be advocates to the veteran population.
Positive Advocacy Skills
According to Tomajan (2012), to be an effective advocate, it is required that you have strong verbal and leadership skills, critical thinking abilities and the capability to work with others. According to Begley (2010), “autonomy, advocacy, assertiveness, and accountability are also good qualities for advocates to have”(p.3). From my experiences as a nurse, I believe it takes time and experience to develop these skills. As nursing experience grows, it becomes common to advocate for patients on a daily basis. Advocacy almost becomes second nature in this profession and the more that it is done, the easier it will become. According to Milstead (2013), to enhance “advocacy skills consider taking an advocacy workshop or doing an internship to help educate yourself in advocacy and the legislative process”(p. 179,182).NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay This type of formal education will help strengthen advocacy skills as well.nurs 6050 Essay Assignments
Nurses Responsibilities as Advocates
The responsibility of the nurse in advocacy is to take the lead in fighting for what’s right for you patients. “It is the nurse’s job to act and react when you see unfair, unjust, unhealthy environments, practices and funding decisions”(International Council of Nurses, 2008,p.11). “Good nurses, therefore, perform their functions well, and they maintain high standards in all areas of practice and governance”(Begley,2010, p.3). As nurses, we are on the front lines in regards to patient care which is why advocating is so important. It is the nurse that will see a problem that needs to be addressed first. As nurses, we have a responsibility that patients receive the best care possible. Being a good advocate is a way to ensure that this objective is being met.
References

Begley, A. M. (2010, 12). On being a good nurse: Reflections on the past and preparing for the future. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 16(6), 525-532. doi:10.1111/j.1440-172x.2010.01878.x
International Council of Nurses. (2008). Promoting health: Advocacy for health professional. Retrieved from http://www.whpa.org/PPE_Advocacy_Guide.pdf
Jackonis, M. J., Deyton, L., & Hess, W. J. (2008, 12). War, Its Aftermath, and U.S. Health Policy: Toward a Comprehensive Health Program for America’s Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 36(4), 677-689. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720x.2008.00322.x
Milstead, J. A. (2013). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay
Seal, K. H., Bertenthal, D., Samuelson, K., Maguen, S., Kumar, S., & Vasterling, J. J. (2016). Association between mild traumatic brain injury and mental health problems and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development J Rehabil Res Dev, 53(2), 185-198. doi:10.1682/jrrd.2014.12.0301
Seamone, E. R., Mcguire, J., Sreenivasan, S., Clark, S., Smee, D., & Dow, D. (2014, 10). Moving Upstream: Why Rehabilitative Justice in Military Discharge Proceedings Serves a Public Health Interest. American Journal of Public Health, 104(10), 1805-1811. doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302117  nurs 6050 Essay Assignments

“Patients have the right to expect that information regarding their care and treatment will be kept confidential” Nursing: scope and standards of practice (2010). As a nurse, it is my duty to keep all patient information confidential. When keeping confidentiality, it establishes trust with my patients and their families.
When reading this scenario, I immediately think, “Oh great!” My initial response would be to inform my sister right away about her significant other, however, legally I am not allowed to disclose this information. In this situation, I would attempt to speak with the patient’s physician because this would be “averting a serious threat to public safety and health” (Pozgar, G. (2013), p. 450). Being my sisters significant other, his conditions could be threatening not only to himself but her as well. I would speak with him, considering this would be within my practice, and inform him that it is very important that he seek out all previous partners and ensure they are aware and tested. He would be informed of the severity of the disease and how deadly it is, potentially scaring him into doing what is right for my sister. nurs 6050 Essay Assignments
I did encounter a similar situation to this one. I took care of a patient that was HIV positive and the wife knew however the family did not. His hospitalization was due to the HIV disease process but we were not permitted to speak of the diagnosis or why this person was hospitalized. At least in this scenario the wife knew. Even though I have a few ideas, I believe that all of them are ethical. I was shocked to see that disclosure is permitted in an event that there is a serious threat to public health and safety. HIV/AIDS is just that! “Despite the ethical obligation of doctors and other healthcare professionals to maintain confidentiality, legal mechanisms such as search warrants and court orders can allow for confidentiality to be breached in order to disclose HIV-related risk behaviors” (Impact – The negative impact on public health, n.d).NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay

Reference
Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. (2010). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses
Association.

Pozgar, G. (2013). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Impact – The negative impact on public health. (n.d). Retrieved from
http://www.aidsmap.com/The-negative-impact-on-public-health/page/1444157/ NURS 6050 Week 8,Policy & Advocacy For Population Health Essay