Advocacy Through Legislation
Nurses often become motivated to change aspects within the larger health care system based on their real-world experience. As such, many nurses take on an advocacy role to influence a change in regulations, policies, and laws that govern the larger health care system.
For this assignment, identify a problem or concern in your state, community, or organization that has the capacity for advocacy through legislation. Research the issue and use the “Advocacy Through Legislation” template to complete this assignment.
You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
ANSWER
Advocacy through Legislation
Identify a problem or concern in your State, community, or organization that can be advocated through legislation. Research the issue and complete the sections below. For each topic that requires the listing of criteria, a minimum of two criteria should be identified and discussed. Add more rows as is appropriate for the topic/proposal.
| Problem
In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues. |
||
| Patient outcomes in a hospital are directly associated with the nurse staffing levels. Nurse shortages usually occur when the number of nurses caring for patients is few compared to the number of patients in the hospital setting. Nursing shortages usually lead to an increase in the errors made within the hospital facilities, increasing mortality (Rosenberg, 2019). Nurse shortages affect nurses, patients, and the healthcare system as a whole. When nurses are overwhelmed with responsibilities, some patients might not receive the attention they need. Overwhelmed nurses mean that the patient outcomes will not be as positive as the hospital might desire. Understaffing of nurses also increases the chances of the nursing staff being overwhelmed and lacking the motivation to carry out their tasks efficiently. Low staffing affects the organization due to negative patient outcomes. An organization with few nurses and a large number of patients is likely to experience high mortality rates, which affects the credibility of the facility. The facility is also likely to have increased costs, especially with dealing with the lawsuits associated with the errors made by nurses because they were overwhelmed. If the nursing shortage is not addressed, it affects patient care negatively and undermines the availability of care for patients. Nursing shortages lead to unnecessary loss of lives, which beats the whole point of having a healthcare system covering everybody and ensuring their safety.
|
||
| Idea for Addressing Solution
In no more than 250 words, outline your idea for addressing the issue and explain why legislation is the best course for advocacy. |
||
| The issue of nurse shortages within the healthcare sector should be effectively addressed through legislation. Laws should be made on the minimum number of patients served in different departments. The ratio of nurses per patient should be addressed by the legislation depending on the hospital department. Through laws on the maximum number of patients a nurse can attend to in a department, nurses will have a reprieve, and the errors made due to one nurse attending to many patients at once will be reduced. Legislation is the most effective method in this case because it will be almost impossible for hospitals to undermine a legislative approach. Laws should also be made about the frequency with which hospitals should hire new nurses. Hiring new nurses will help departments maintain a steady number of nurses without overworking and overwhelming the current nurses. Advocating for laws on the ratio of nurses to patients in different departments will help nurses as they will not be blackmailed into overworking. Through legislative action, the nurses can complain in case they are faced with situations where they are working with too many patients. The legislation will also push the hospital departments to hire more nurses, which will help control the shortage situation.
|
||
| Research the Issue
Perform research and compile information for your idea. Present substantive evidence-based findings that support your idea for addressing the problem (studies, research, and reports). Include any similar legislation introduced or passed in other states. |
||
| Evidence 1 | According to Haddad et al. (2020), nurses are an important part of healthcare and make the largest section of the healthcare profession. Nurses, therefore, need to be in the best state of their minds to avoid making mistakes that negatively impact patient outcomes. The number of patients that a nurse cares for impacts patient outcomes. It is, therefore, important for hospitals to increase staffing levels and provide nurses with a motivational and rejuvenating environment to do their work. | |
| Evidence 2 | According to Ghafoor (2021), nurse shortages affect the quality of care and the safety of patients. According to the study by Ghafoor (2021), countries that do not emphasize addressing the issue of nurse shortages are putting their citizens at risk. An increase in the number of nurses in the hospital will reduce hospital mortality. | |
| Similar laws | California has a state-wide nurse-to-patient ratio. It is the first State to implement the legislation, and according to the State, improved rations have led to lower mortality. Lower cases of burnout and netter nurse retention. | |
| Stakeholder Support
Discuss the stakeholders who would support the proposed idea and explain why they would be in support. |
||
| Stakeholder(s) Supporting 1 | Therefore, the nurses are the main stakeholders in this idea and would be the first to support it. The legislation on patient ratios would be supported by nurses as it would lead to more nurses being hired, which will reduce the workload. They will also be better positioned to serve their patients with the legislation as they will not be overwhelmed or burnt out. The idea will also increase their motivation and increase their satisfaction. | |
| Stakeholder(s) Supporting 2 | Hospital administrators would also support this idea as they are the people behind the activities in the organization. Increased nurses would reduce the costs used to address the adverse effects of overwhelmed nurses. Mandatory addition of nurses would mean that they would have a smooth running in overseeing hospital activities without any serious incidents (Qureshi et al., 2019). This would also improve the hospital’s credibility. | |
| Stakeholder Opposition
Discuss the stakeholders who would oppose the proposed idea. Explain why they would be in opposition and how you would prepare to debate or converse about these considerations. |
||
| Stakeholder(s) Opposed 1 | The hospital board members would oppose this idea as they are the people overseeing the major financial decisions in the organization. They would oppose this idea due I the increased costs of hiring new nurses. | |
| Stakeholder(s) Opposed 2 | Nurse executives would also oppose this idea. They would cite that there are better ways of handling nurse shortages, such as improvement of recruitment and retention approaches. | |
| A discussion with the opposing parties would be held. Their views on better ways of addressing the issue of shortages and the high costs of hiring new nurses would be acknowledged. The implementation of a law is, however, likely to be more effective in addressing nursing shortages. | ||
| Financial Incentives/Costs
In no more than 250 words, summarize the financial impact for the issue and the idea (added costs, cost savings, increased revenue, etc.). Provided support. |
||
| Increased nurse-to-patient ratios lead to increased costs as a result of increased medical errors and negative patient outcomes. Medical errors and negative patient outcomes such as death can lead to litigations in case of justifiable negligence. Mandatory staffing ratios will increase the cost of hiring nurses, but with enough nurses in the hospital, there will be positive patient outcomes which will lead to reimbursements, and the credibility of the hospital will increase, which helps in terms of receiving loans and grants. However, implementing the idea may be difficult as the required nurse–to–patient ratios do not receive additional reimbursement. The idea would increase the annual cost within the healthcare setting. | ||
| Legislature: Information Needed and Process for Proposal
Discuss how to advocate for your proposal using legislation. Include the following: |
||
| Provide the name and complete contact information for the legislator. | (Please enter a Legislator of your choosing) | |
| Describe the steps for how you would present this to your legislator. | The proposed aide will be sent to the legislator in the form of a policy brief describing the problem and the solution. The brief will have personal perspectives on the issue and the effects of the issue. | |
| Outline the process if your legislator chooses to introduce your idea as a bill to congress. | The process of introducing the bill to congress includes;
1. The text for the bill is developed 2. The legislator becomes the bill’s sponsor 3. The bill is introduced when the house is in session by placing it in a special box. 4. It is assigned a number 5. The title is read on the floor 6. The bill is referred to the committee for markup, debating, and voting |
|
| Christian Principles and Nursing Advocacy
In no more than 250 words, discuss how principles of a Christian worldview lend support to legislative advocacy in health care without bias. Be specific as to how these principles help advocate for inclusiveness and positive health outcomes for all populations, including those more vulnerable, without regard to gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, religion/belief, etc. |
||
| In Christianity, it is one’s responsibility to advocate for the weak and those in need. It is, therefore, important to advocate for vulnerable populations. In this case, the sick are vulnerable who need advocacy. By advocating for legislation on nurse-to-patient ratios, the needs of the sick are addressed, and as a result of the advocacy, they receive safe and quality care. It is the role of nurses to ensure all the patients in their care receive quality care. | ||
References
Ghafoor, Y. (2021). Impact of Nurse Shortage on Patient Care. Saudi J Nurs Health Care, 4(4), 114-119.
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2020). Nursing shortage. StatPearls [Internet].
Rosenberg, K. (2019). RN shortages negatively impact patient safety. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 119(3), 51.
Qureshi, S. M., Purdy, N., Mohani, A., & Neumann, W. P. (2019). Predicting the effect of nurse-patient ratio on nurse workload and care quality using discrete event simulation. Journal of nursing management, 27(5), 971-980.
