NURS-6050N-23: POLICY AND ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING POP. HEALTH Essay.

NURS 6050 – Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

(5 cr.) In today’s rapidly changing healthcare delivery system, decisions made within the political arena impact the future of healthcare systems and the populations that healthcare professionals serve. In this course, students examine healthcare reform and its impact on healthcare delivery, population health, and nursing practice. They evaluate policies that influence the structure, financing, and quality in healthcare and examine healthcare delivery from a global perspective. Through discussions, case studies, and other activities, students examine the effects of legal and regulatory processes on nursing practice, healthcare delivery, and population health outcomes. Students also examine ways to advocate for promotion and preservation of population health and gain the necessary skills to influence policy and support changes effected by the passing of new healthcare reform legislation.NURS-6050N-23: POLICY AND ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING POP. HEALTH Essay.

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Wendy, I agree with you that a lot of our veterans’ struggle with reintegration.  Reintegration for our veterans can present a whole set of issues and struggles.  These issues and struggles are felt by the veteran, as well as, the family.  The veteran has many deployment related stress conditions and possible injuries that increase tension at all levels of his/her life(Elnitsky, Fisher, & Blevins, 2017).  The family have their own issue to contend with related to post-deployment.  The family has adjusted to life without the veteran as a daily participant(Elnitsky et al., 2017).  Children have grown and become reliant on the one parent and may struggle with the authority shift(Elnitsky et al., 2017).  The spouse has been the sole responsible adult in the household and may struggle with letting responsibility go(Elnitsky et al., 2017).  There can be financial issues, communication issue, as well as, relationship and trust issues(Elnitsky et al., 2017).  There are several reintegration programs to help with some of the issues that the returning veteran and their families face.  Some of these are the Comfort Crew for Military Kids​ is a program that was created to help military families and their children through the deployment, reintegration, reintegrating with an injury, and losing a parent in war(“Reintegration Resources,”).AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops, the Buddy to Buddy program, and Operation Healthy Reunions are all programs developed to help soldiers and veterans with asking for help and provide resource to those who are facing challenges before, during, and after deployment(“Reintegration Resources,”).

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA): Code of Ethics, Provision 2.2 states that “the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.”  In the case scenario with nurse Lena, I, of course, made the decision that I would notify the sister of the boyfriend’s diagnoses of HIV.  With further research, I came across the website, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov that has ‘ethical guidelines’ and ethical guideline 3-13 states, “consider all the information given or obtained during the care process as the professional secrets, and do not reveal them without client/patient’s permission except in legally permissible cases.  I continue with my same decision even with reading through this ethical guideline. NURS-6050N-23: POLICY AND ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING POP. HEALTH Essay.

I began to feel guilty about the decision that I made knowing the rules and regulations of HIPPA.  With more research, an article from www.HIV.gov states that “many states and cities have the partner-notification law, meaning that if you test positive for HIV, you (or your healthcare provider) may be legally obligated to tell your sex or needle-sharing partners.”  The article also states that “in some states, an individual can be charged with a crime if they don’t tell their partners.”  “Some states also have laws that require clinic staff to notify a ‘third party’ if they know that person has a significant risk for exposure to HIV from a patient the staff member knows is infected with HIV.  This law is called “Duty to Warn.”NURS-6050N-23: POLICY AND ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING POP. HEALTH Essay.

Now, with obtaining this information I felt more comfortable with the decision of notifying the boyfriend’s girlfriend (the sister of clinic employee). I understand that we have an obligation as nurses to uphold patient’s rights of privacy and confidentiality, but who protects the individuals that are in contact with the infected individuals that are either family members, significant others, or close friends?  I am very grateful for the states that have adopted the laws of Partner-Notification and Duty to Warn.  These laws in those states are helping with decreasing the spread of HIV which is increasing the knowing of how important it is for individuals to have partners tested before having sex and the importance of safe sex, using protection.

Hey Deshanna,

The case of Lena making the decision to inform her sister is a decision that must be made with the patient’s privacy being taken into consideration.

Hey AB,

Nursing is a prestigious career, and with the practice it is important that we have a duty to protect patient information, privacy, and rights, and also the community as a whole.  The provisions list important key information to give nurses guidelines on how to conduct themselves in their practice, how to provide proper privacy rights to patients, among other duties that should be properly achieved.  It is a task that entails justice and ethics and the rights of the patients.  As a nurse, we have been charged with the duty to start relationships and provide nursing services to mankind needs and values with respect and without prejudice (Fowler &American Nurses Association, 2008).  I agree that Lena’s sister has a duty not only to the patient, but to her sister and the overall community.  Lena has the right to disclose information regarding the possible exposure of HIV to her sister; however, she should protect the client’s right by not disclosing the specific name.  Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act (HIPPA) is a federal law that protects patient health information and medical records, and provides patients with the choice of how their personal health information is disclosed (AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, n.d.).  I agree that it is important to encourage him to admit to failing disclose the information regarding his HIV status with his girlfriend.  If he is aware previously that he was positive then going to the next step of pressing legal charges would be appropriate due to recklessness and exposure.NURS-6050N-23: POLICY AND ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING POP. HEALTH Essay.