Global Policy Reform
Global Policy Reform
Order Description
paper in APA format with proper citation, reference, doi number, please check grammar and spelling
Chamberlain College of Nursing-NR-506 Health Care Policy
Global Policy Reform (graded)
In the article by Kohl, H.W., Craig, C. L., Lambert, E.V., Inoue, S., Alkandari, J.R., Leetonngin, G., Kahlmeier, K. (2012), a systems approach to dealing with the
global issue of physical inactivity is discussed. Describe how you would advocate for increased physical activity in the global arena. Who would be the key
stakeholders and how would you get them involved in this policy?
Reference
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O'Grady, E. T. (Eds). (2016). Policy & politics in nursing and healthcare (7th ed.). Retrieved from
http://online.vitalsource.com
� Chapter 87: Human Trafficking: The Need for Nursing Advocacy
� Chapter 91: International Health and Nursing Policy and Politics Today: A Snapshot
� Chapter 92: Infectious Disease: A Global Perspective
Kohl, H.W., Craig, C. L., Lambert, E.V., Inoue, S., Alkandari, J.R., Leetonngin, G., Kahlmeier, K. (2012). The pandemic of physical inactivity: Global action for
public health. The Lancet 380(9838) 294-305. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60898-8. link to article
Farrer, L., Marinetti, C., Cavaco, Y., Costongs, C. (2015). Advocacy for health equity: A synthesis review.The Milbank Quarterly 93(2) 392-437. doi: 10.1111/1468-
0009.121122-4. link to article
McMichael, A.J., Globalization, climate change, and human health. (2013). New England Journal of Medicine, 368, 1335-1343. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1109341. link to article
Meetoo, D. (2013). The setting of healthcare priorities through public engagement. British Journal of Nursing, 22(7), 372-376. link to article
Introduction
During this final week, the issues affecting the international community are explored. It is important to consider how actions in our own community impact the global
community. We will examine issues that influence policy and policy making at local, state, national, and international levels. Finally, we will discuss global
alliances, partnerships, and nursing's advocacy role in world health issues.
Nursing in the International Context
As noted previously, advances in technology have impacted the interrelationships between global communities. In essence, we are all in one big global community and in
healthcare, one nation's problems belong to all of us. A nurse in today's world needs to understand health, illness, and coping strategies from many different cultural
perspectives. To meet our nursing needs in the United States, we have relied upon nurses from other countries. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) implemented
principles to support recruitment and retention of these nurses, such as orientation, mentoring, providing a safe work environment, and more. But how does bringing in
nurses from other countries help us here in the United States? In the short-term, it alleviates the nursing shortage. However, until we develop viable solutions to fix
the cause of our nursing shortage here, we are not addressing the root of the problem itself. As you know from last week's lesson, nurses turn to collective bargaining
as a direct result of unsatisfactory workplace conditions.
International Healthcare Concerns
There are several pressing healthcare concerns on our global plate at present. Africa, in particular, suffers from pervasive poverty, hunger, and disease. The Group of
Eight (G8), comprised of France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, meet yearly to discuss national and international
political and economic issues. At these annual summits, each member nation makes health commitments and pledges to support other countries that are especially in need.
Not surprisingly, the G8 tends to perform better when the health issue most directly affects the citizens in G8 countries or some aspect of the situation controlled by
the G8 member state. In addition, the G8 performs better in a biomedical model designed to deal with acute disease outbreaks, so little emphasis is placed on health
promotion. Consider why that might be the case. What can be done to restructure the healthcare policies of the G8? Why aren't nurse leaders working to shore up that
lack of health promotion emphasis? What price is our global community paying for the focus on an illness-approach model?
It is important for the G8 to collaborate with the World Health Organization (WHO). By doing this, the G8 health ministers could better structure support and services.
The G8 aid pledged to Africa is a priority, but nurses and other stakeholders need to monitor this situation and focus lobbying efforts on ensuring that this pledge is
upheld. The education of women in underdeveloped countries is a particularly urgent issue because women make up 70% of the absolute poor. Studies have demonstrated
that education aimed at women improves the chances that the next generation will, in turn, be educated. Education can focus on controlled fertility, general health and
nutrition education, infant mortality issues, or other issues as dictated by local priorities.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has written guidelines for how nurses and healthcare professionals can make a positive health impact on individuals living in
poverty. These initiatives are similar to those community-based approaches discussed during Week 7 of this course. Among the ICN initiatives are the shift to
community-based approaches to healthcare, involvement of family and community in defining problems and seeking solutions, and a focus on the impact of poverty on women
and vulnerable groups. These initiatives are especially applicable to the huge problems of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS), which includes infected infants and orphans. In addition, HIV and AIDS dramatically affect the caregivers and nurses who have become infected through unsafe
working environments in those developing countries.
Similar to U.S. community-based nursing care, the global community benefits greatly when nurses organize. Nursing organizations in various countries present unified
voices and efforts to advocate for vulnerable populations. The World Health Organization has been painfully slow to recognize and include nursing. With the current
international nursing shortage and the increase in diseases and costs, the lobbying efforts of the ICN may change this situation. The World Health Professions Alliance
is very effective in addressing key healthcare issues in addition to structural aspects, such as human resources planning, HIV/AIDS, ethical issues, and human rights
issues or emerging issues such as Ebola or the Zika virus. Still, we have a long way to go. So many of the world's (and our own) health problems can be addressed using
a wellness and health promotion approach, a proactive model rather than a reactive model. Do you remember those early nurse leaders we discussed at the beginning of
this course? What about their contributions and the impact on our quality of life here in the United States? Why can't we examine the work they did so long ago, the
circumstances in which they did it, and carry that forward into our own communities and the world at large?
Summary
What can you do to get involved on an international level? It is as simple as thinking globally and acting locally. The theory of complex adaptive systems discussed
during Week 1 shows that what happens on the other side of the world really does affect what we do here in our own communities.
Begin the journey to international advocacy by educating yourself about healthcare policy issues. You have taken the first step by completing this course. Now, pass it
on to your colleagues! Use the work you did as part of this course as a stepping stone to progress to the next level of professional development and advocacy. And
remember to use supportive evidence to confirm that nursing's contributions to healthcare and policy issues are valuable.
References
National Institute of Health, (2015). Retrieved from www.fic.nih.gov.