Introduction to Health Policy (Nursing)

00:02 Now we're going to talk about public health and policy.

00:05 Before we get started, I want to remind you that policy work does not have to be complicated.

00:10 Often we get nervous or anxious when people start talking about policy.

00:14 But the reality is that policy making is truly just finding solutions to issues that important to you and your community.

00:20 So let's not overcomplicate it.

00:23 In fact, let me tell you a story, a story about my son.

00:26 He's eight years old, and in second grade, he came home from school one day with an assignment that he had to advocate for a policy he wanted to see changed in his community.

00:36 He told me that he was going to write a letter to our local park advisory board, because he thought there should be a law against dogs running around on the baseball fields.

00:44 So of course, I asked him, "Why is this such a problem?" What I was doing was asking him to define the significance of the problem.

00:51 He said that because the dogs were running around on the baseball fields, he and his buddies didn't have a place to pay baseball after school.

00:58 So I asked him what he thought the solution was, and not just creating a law, but really thinking about alternatives, alternatives that we could give dog owners so that their dogs wouldn't have to run around on the baseball fields.

01:11 What he came up with was writing a letter to our local advisory board, asking them to support a series of bake sales, and garage sales to raise money to expand the already existing dog park.

01:22 Now, what does this have to do with public health and policy? Well, really, this is an example of policy work.

01:27 It's advocating for solutions to important issues in your community.

01:32 So now if my eight year old son can be a policy advocate, I know that you can be one too.

01:37 Policies impact health and well being of individuals and communities through encouraging healthy behaviors and discouraging harmful behaviors, policies impact health, equity and disparities.

01:51 Public health nurses need to be aware of how policies impact the health outcomes in the communities that they serve.

01:57 Now in this presentation, I'm going to explain some very basic definitions that relate to policy making.

02:04 Although the term policy may sound lofty, policy is quite simply the process of turning problems into a workable solution.

02:13 The policy process is very similar to the nursing process.

02:16 But rather than focus on an individual or a community, the focus of policy work is on society as a whole.

02:23 So let's take a look.

02:24 Here you see the policy process overlaid with the nursing process.

02:28 The policy process includes the following steps.

02:32 First, we have the statement of the problem, then the development of policy options or solutions to address the problem, then adoption of the policy option, implementation of the policy option.

02:44 And then finally, evaluation of the policies intended and unintended consequences.

02:50 So once again, as you can see, this is very similar to the nursing process, you already know how to do this.

02:57 Historically, nurses have been advocates for protecting the health of the public through policy.

03:02 So this is not new for nurses.

03:05 In fact, Florence Nightingale is known for her early advocacy efforts.

03:09 She used data and her expertise as a nurse to advocate to change organizational policies.

03:15 Specifically, she wanted to ensure that all patients, regardless of religious beliefs, had access to care at the hospital where she was a superintendent, so she advocated on their behalf through policy work to make sure this happened.

03:30 Another great example of early policy work for nurses is that of Lillian Wald.

03:35 She was a nurse advocate that used her position to improve population health outcomes through national policies, specifically policies related to women's reproductive health rights.

03:45 She supported and advocated for women's right to contraception, and she was an active participant in the women's suffrage movement.

03:52 These two pioneers led the way for and demonstrated the importance of a nursing voice in the policy arena.

03:58 So let's continue on with some of those basic definitions.

04:02 Again, a policy is simply a decision that is meant to address a problem.

04:07 A policy is a course of action that we take to reach that desired outcome in society or within an organization.

04:16 Health Policy is a specific policy, or course of action meant to address a health outcome.

04:22 In order to fully understand health policy, nurses must also be aware of the policy making process, which is where the next few definitions come into play.

04:33 Politics.

04:34 Politics are all the activities of those who aim to influence the way in which a country or an organization is governed.

04:41 Politics are found at all levels of government and can also be found at that organizational level.

04:47 Politics often involve gaining or keeping power in order to influence policy, or simply put, influence the way in which we want to see problems addressed.

04:59 Advocacy.

05:00 This is any action that supports or defends a cause on behalf of yourself or others.

05:06 Now I'm sure that you've advocated on behalf of yourself and probably on behalf of a patient.

05:11 In relationship to policy, advocacy, or efforts that defend the need for the adoption of a specific policy.

05:21 Laws are an established system of rules that all members of society are asked to follow.

05:26 Through political action, a policy can become a law.

05:31 I want you to remember that as a public health nurse, you can make a difference.

05:35 Understanding these basic definitions sets a strong foundation for being a player in the policy arena, and advocating for policies that can positively influence the communities that you serve as a public health nurse.