Reflective Journal-Health Policy-Nursing Paper Examples

Health Policy-Nursing Paper Examples

This week’s reflective journal focused on health policy, where I gained insights into how healthcare policies improve and shape the healthcare environment. I learned that local, state, and national rules and regulations are integral to the United States health system as they impact fundamental issues such as healthcare access, delivery methods, cost, and privacy. I also learned that healthcare policies shape guidelines that benefit patients, health organizations, and the entire system (Sallis et al., 2020) (Reflective Journal-Health Policy).

The guidelines and protocols aid in curbing human errors and ineffective communication that may occur during medical decisions. For example, patient care policies, employee policies, health coverage, drug, security, and privacy policies are vital to improving the quality of care and patient safety (Health Policy-Nursing Paper Examples).

One of my strengths is my ability to adapt and utilize policies depending on the type of care setting. My project focuses on reducing HAIs among hospitalized patients. Thus, I adhered to the set standards of operating procures within the healthcare facility to curb the infections. For instance, I maintained high hygiene standards and regular hand washing before and after handling patients to improve safety. However, I had a weakness in comprehending how certain policies should be used to handle various situations. More so, such as security threats posed by abusive or non-compliant patients )Health Policy-Nursing Paper Examples).

Nonetheless, my preceptor helps me make the right decisions when facing a complex situation. Hence, providers should be well-versed in healthcare policy and its functions. Furthermore, it is important to use their expertise and skills to pioneer more policies that improve healthcare (Health Policy-Nursing Paper Examples).

Health leaders such as administrators remain mandated to use and follow set policies while mobilizing their staff to follow set guidelines and regulations to provide the best available care while using acquired knowledge to inform future policies (Nicola et al., 2020). Lastly, nurses, among other healthcare professionals, should lead in educating patients about their rights as they may take more time to comprehend healthcare policy fully (Reflective Journal-Health Policy).

References

Nicola, M., Sohrabi, C., Mathew, G., Kerwan, A., Al-Jabir, A., Griffin, M., … & Agha, R. (2020). Health policy and leadership models during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review. International Journal of Surgery, 81, 122-129. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366988/

Sallis, J. F., Adlakha, D., Oyeyemi, A., & Salvo, D. (2020). An international physical activity and public health research agenda to inform coronavirus disease-2019 policies and practices. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 9(4), 328-334. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254620300648