One of the branches of health that has been gaining attention in the recent years is health policy. It is defined as a science which deals with the decision-making, planning, and implementing of specific interventions and strategies that aim to achieve a certain healthcare goal within a community (World Health Organization, 2016).
In line with the different goals of health policy is the term health policy advocacy. Health policy advocacies act as the support and the act of persuading or pleading to another person. As a whole, health policy advocacy generally refers to the act of channeling the issues regarding health policies, laws, and regulations through different strategies, interventions, or movements (Oncology Nursing Society, 2012).
The relatively large number of health professional nurses allowed them to be considered as the most trusted profession by the public. However, nurses and their importance in the health care sector is yet to be realized because of the different stresses and barriers experienced by nurses in a day to day bases. Thus, it is important for nurses to advocate for future goals and benefits. As a matter of fact, one important strategy to improve or promote healthcare policy advocacies is for nurses to engage and become involved in the different processes that are considered to be necessary in their different work settings. Additionally, the provision of data and information that support the realistic changes being advocated by nurses is one strategy that can help in the realization of necessary changes when it comes to quality and quantity of health care delivery and services (Tomajan, 2012).
Aside from these strategies, a study was conducted to determine the strategies used to promote behavior change and improve healthcare policy advocacy. These include highlighting the ownership of patients, strengthening the partnership that exist between patients and healthcare professionals, identifying small steps, scheduling of other medical visits and check-ups, and showing compassion and concern towards the patients. These strategies are necessary because it allows greater interaction between the patients and the health professionals. By doing so, there will be a tangible support on the different advantages and disadvantages of certain policies, laws, and regulations (Pecan Valley Centers, 2016).
Other studies revealed that there are further strategies associated with change agency such as the existence and roles of opinion leaders, facilitators, developers of practice, outreach strategies, detailing of academic performance, and the use of different change agents. However, these strategies are in need of in-depth review from other researches to prove the benefits and risks associated with each strategy. Thus, to be able to ensure the importance and definite effects of the strategies in terms of the determination of outcomes of healthcare policies, efficient and accurate systematic review of literature and evidence-based practice should be encouraged, promoted, and improved (McCormack, Rycroft-Malone, DeCorby, Hutchinson, Bucknall, Kent, Schultz, Snelgrove-Clarke, Stetler, Titler, Wallin, & Wilson, 2013).
In totality, health policy and health policy advocacy work together in improving the health outcomes of patients and health professionals as well. The different strategies and interventions that are currently being applied and used in several institutions and organizations by different health professions are necessary tools to help in the improvement of the status of health in the United States. However, despite the growing number of strategies and interventions that aim to promote health policy advocacy, it is still important to consider the quality and efficiency of these interventions by conducting a thorough systematic review of the available literature and data.
References
McCormack, B., Rycroft-Malone, J., DeCorby, K., Hutchinson, A.M., Bucknall, T., Kent, B., Schultz, A., Snelgrove-Clarke, E., Stetler, C., Titler, M., Wallin, L., and Wilson, V. (2013). A realist review of interventions and strategies to promote evidence-informed healthcare: focus on change agency. Implementation Science 8(107).
Oncology Nursing Society. (2012). Chapter 2: What is Health Policy Advocacy. ARN Health Policy Tool Kit. Retrieved from http://www.rehabnurse.org/uploads/hptoolkit12_chp2.pdf [Assessed on 31 Jul 2016]
Pecan Valley Centers. (2016). Five Strategies Employed to Help Promote Behavior Change. Health Policy & Advocacy. Retrieved from http://www.pecanvalley.org/74-health-policy-advocacy/news/179840-five-strategies-employed-to-help-promote-behavior-change [Accessed on 31 Jul 2016].
Tomajan, K. (2012). Advocating for Nurses and Nursing. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 17(1).
World Health Organization. (2016). Health Policy. World Health Organization: Health topics. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/health_policy/en/ [Accessed on 31 Jul 2016]
