Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper
As their names imply, the honeyguide bird and the honey badger both share an affinity for honey. Honeyguide birds specialize in finding beehives but struggle to access the honey within. Honey badgers are well-equipped to raid beehives but cannot always find them. However, these two honey-loving species have learned to collaborate on an effective means to meet their objectives. The honeyguide bird guides honey badgers to newly discovered hives. Once the honey badger has ransacked the hive, the honey guide bird safely enters to enjoy the leftover honey. Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper
Much like honeyguide birds and honey badgers, nurses and health professionals from other specialty areas can—and should—collaborate to design effective programs. Nurses bring specialties to the table that make them natural partners to professionals with different specialties. When nurses take the requisite leadership in becoming involved throughout the healthcare system, these partnerships can better design and deliver highly effective programs that meet objectives.
In this Assignment, you will practice this type of leadership by advocating for a healthcare program. Equally as important, you will advocate for a collaborative role of the nurse in the design and implementation of this program. To do this, assume you are preparing to be interviewed by a professional organization/publication regarding your thoughts on the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs. Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper
To Prepare:
Review the Resources and reflect on your thinking regarding the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs.
Select a healthcare program within your practice and consider the design and implementation of this program.
Reflect on advocacy efforts and the role of the nurse in relation to healthcare program design and implementation.
The Assignment: (2–4 pages)
In a 2- to 4-page paper, create an interview transcript of your responses to the following interview questions: Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper
Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program?
Who is your target population?
What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?
What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?
What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples?
Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why?
Please be sure that the paper aligns with the rubric requirements and the assignment answers every question posed. The references need to be in 7th edition APA format as well as the assignment Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper
Awareness Program towards Prevention and Management of Diabetes, Cost, and Outcomes
The rise in the population with Diabetes continues to affect the healthcare sector. Diabetes is a life-threatening condition with high blood glucose levels, and the body does not produce enough insulin to control the sugar levels. Diabetes can be classified as type 1, type 2, juvenile or gestational. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention Control (2022), approximately 37.3 million of the US population have Diabetes. Of these, 28.7 million have been diagnosed, while 8.5 million are undiagnosed. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare professionals must collaborate on implementing interventions that help prevent and manage Diabetes.
Diabetes self-management and prevention training and education are essential for managing the condition. Thus, there is a need to implement different programs that help toward the primary goal of diabetes management. Within my practice, the program that helps in diabetes management involves awareness programs for the prevention and control of Diabetes. The program creates awareness for diabetes and non-diabetes individuals on common risk factors, treatment nature, and complications associated with the illnesses, which help in its prevention and management(Cruz‐Cobo & Santi‐Cano, 2020)Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper. The program’s success has also been driven by the effective collaboration of nurses, interprofessional, and stakeholders. The cost incurred for implementing the program is cost-effective for the organization since only a public address system, fliers, and handouts will be required. The projected outcomes of the program are to ensure individuals are aware of risk factors, treatment options, and self-management to prevent and manage Diabetes.
Program Target Population
Diabetes affects populations of all ages depending on certain risk factors. Risk factors associated with Diabetes include socioeconomic status, lifestyle, age, race, education levels, and family history. However, the overall rate of Diabetes condition among adults between 30-65 years old is higher than those below that age. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention Control (2022), approximately 28.5 adults have been diagnosed with Diabetes. Social-economic status and ethnicity are also significant risk factors for a diabetes condition. Therefore, the target population for the program is adults below the age of 65 years, regardless of ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Role of the Nurse in the Healthcare Program
The awareness programs involve conducting public campaigns and using social media platforms to share knowledge and information on the prevention and management of Diabetes. Nurses play a critical role in health promotion and disease prevention through patient counseling and education. For this program, nurses have a crucial role in the designing stage. The program will involve educating populations on diabetes management within the community through messages on brochures and social media platforms. Their nurse plays a significant role in providing insights on ways to provide social and psychological support for diabetes patients (Nikitara et al., 2019)Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper. The other vital role of nurses is to ensure effective collaboration among team members involved in the program. For example, they collaborate with dietitians, nutritionists, psychologists, and podiatric to ensure accurate blood sugar levels and healthy dietary habits that prevent and manage Diabetes are well on brochures and social media platforms.
Additionally, the nurses will play a vital role in educating patients on management measures, complications, and any relevant information associated with the diseases. This promotes patient empowerment as they also get involved in their health management. Therefore, nurses must be integrated into organizational programs as their input is vital from the planning stage to the implementation and evaluation stages.
Role as an Advocate for the Target Population for the Healthcare Program
As an advocate for the awareness program for the prevention and management of diabetes among the adult population, my role is to ensure adult patients with diabetes conditions receive quality care from healthcare professionals. This involves educating patients on management and prevention measures. My part is to ensure accurate information on common risk factors, treatment forms, and complications related to the diseases is provided to the target population (Nikitara et al., 2019)Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper. I also advocate for interprofessional collaboration as some of the preventive measures may involve changes in diets where dieticians and nutritionist may share their knowledge on the same. Thus, the program will include teamwork and collaboration for its successful implementation. I also have a significant role in designing the awareness program. This is because, as a nurse, I often engage with patients, understand different needs, and can provide insights into the treatment nature and complications of the condition. I can also impact the design decision by ensuring that the program is designed to accommodate all adults below 65 years despite their race or socioeconomic status.
Different Nurse Roles during Program Design and Implementation Stages
Nurses play a primary role in healthcare programs as they link patient care and healthcare professionals. They often engage with patients and better understand their needs (Oldland et al., 2020). Therefore, they become an integral part of the design implementation stage to ensure the improvement of patient health outcomes. During the implementation stage, the role of a nurse is to ensure coordination and monitoring of all campaign activities a. Additionally, they play a role in evaluating the program to ensure it meets its intended purpose. They identify challenges in the programs and provide a possible solution to ensure it meets all patient needs. The role of a nurse varies during the design and implementation stages. During the design stage, the nurse provides additional information that may help meet the patient’s needs and achieve the program’s goal. However, in the implementation stage, the nurse’s role is to ensure practical application and improvement of the program to achieve the desired outcomes Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper.
Stakeholders involved in the Program Implementation
During the program’s design and implementation stage, different stakeholders must take part to ensure its success. The stakeholders include nurse practitioners, nurse leaders, management, nutritionists, physicians, psychologists, and members of the public representatives. The management team plays a vital role in ensuring that decisions are aligned with the program’s objective. The nutritionist helps provide insight on healthy diets for diabetes prevention and management. Nurses, physicians, and psychologists offer insights on how to care for and support the population in the direction of Diabetes. Thus all members must be involved from the planning to the evaluation stage Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, healthcare programs help to improve healthcare outcomes. Institutions must assess their patient needs to implement the most appropriate program. The rise in a patient with diabetes conditions is noticeable; within my practice, awareness programs on prevention and management of the disease have been designed and implemented. The nurses collaborate with other professionals to ensure they provide accurate and adequate information on risk factors, treatment options, and complications of the diseases. Thus, all stakeholders involved in a program must play their roles to ensure successful implementation Policy and Advocacy For Improving Health Assignment Paper