Healthcare policy analysis, one of the scopes of healthcare policy, is mainly involved in the development and evaluation of the different interventions that have been implemented to help in the improvement of the healthcare delivery system. Policy analysis in the healthcare system is mainly associated with the regulation and finance of different healthcare services. Other activities involved in the process of healthcare policy analysis include developing and analyzing data to serve as support for different policies, assessing new initiatives in the field of healthcare by utilizing different techniques which include cost-benefit analysis, evaluation of programs, analysis of implementations, and development of the healthcare plans (New York University Wagner, 2016).
The process of healthcare policy analysis also involves a series of steps. These steps have been summarized and applied in different frameworks developed by different healthcare professionals. One of the common frameworks in the field of healthcare policy analysis is the eightfold path developed by Bardach. The eightfold path includes eight steps necessary for the process of policy analysis which includes (1) Definition of the Problem; (2) Assembly of relevant evidences; (3) Construction of Policy Alternatives; (4) Selection of appropriate criteria; (5) Projection of different health and project outcomes; (6) Confrontation of the possible trade-offs associated with the problem and the projects; (7) Decision making; (8) Adaptation of the policy (Bardach & Patashnik, 2015). However, the checklist provided by Dr. Jonathan Weiner from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2005) added an additional step which involves implementation and evaluation of the policy which can be used for the improvements of the interventions and policies developed.
The definition of the problem involves quantification of the problem to be addressed. The scope and magnitude of the problem as well as previous histories and key factors should also be noted. These information are necessary to determine and gauge the public health significance of the problem at hand. Meanwhile, the assembly of pertinent evidence or information on the problem includes provision of related literature on the problem as well as the demographics and updated information on the population mainly affected by the problem. Absence of these information may require recollection of necessary information to be able to support the claims on the scope and magnitude of the problem especially within the context of the affected population. The construction of policy alternatives is necessary to develop sharing of inputs and ideas from the different stakeholders. This step can include alternatives which are considered to be best practices by the related literature, suggestions and insights of the stakeholder, and different approaches that are found within the healthcare system. The selection of appropriate criteria is necessary to aid in the development of the decision-making framework and the assessment of the different alternatives. On the other hand, the projection of outcomes and confrontation of tradeoffs involve reassessment of compiled evidences to estimate the impact of the policy in terms of health and economy. The seventh step, decision-making, involves development of the matrix to be utilized for the decision making process. Lastly, the eighth step, adaptation of the policy, involves the development of public documents to explain the rationale of the policy decision along with the reasons for the rejection of other alternatives. Additionally, the development of campaigns and strategies will also be formulated in this step (Weiner, 2005).
These steps greatly help and shape the nursing practice because it provides a detailed framework that can be adopted by nurses during policy analysis. Moreover, since the involvement of nurses has been acknowledge in the field of healthcare, basic knowledge and guide in terms of policy analysis can greatly improve the influence of nurses in the field of health policy (Arabi, et al., 2014; American Nurses Association, n.d.).
References
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Expert Policy Analysis. ANA: American Nurses Association. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/Positions-and-Resolutions/Issue-Briefs [Accessed on 9 Jul 2016]
Arabi, A., Raffi, F., Cheraghi, M.A., and Ghiyasvandian, S. (2014). Nurses’ policy influence: A concept analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research 19(3): 315-322
Bardach, E. and Patashnik, E.M. (2015). A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving. 5th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
New York University Wagner. (2016). Improving the Health Care Delivery System. Health Policy Analysis. Retrieved from http://wagner.nyu.edu/health/spec_policy [Accessed 9 Jul 2016]
Weiner, J. (2005). Health Policy Analysis Checklist. J. Weiner and The Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved from http://ocw.jhsph.edu/courses/introhealthpolicy/pdfs/bardach_outline_ihp_7b.pdf [Accessed on 9 Jul 2016]
