I believe that nurses should have more influence on improving the healthcare system. Nurse are trusted for information about health and healthcare and play a pivotal role in improving quality and safety of care, but this is not generally understood or recognized. I have noticed that insurance executives and the pharmaceutical industry have more influence on the healthcare system than nurses do. Nurses are the front-line caregivers in our health system, which gives us a unique and invaluable perspective on patient care. We see firsthand the gaps in the healthcare system and the consequences of those gaps. We also see where improvements are needed to increase access, promote prevention, coordinate care, and improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare. “The experiences of many nurses practicing in the real world of health care are motivating them to take on some form of an advocacy role in order to influence a change in policies, laws, or regulations that govern the larger health care system.
This type of advocacy necessitates stepping beyond their own practice setting and into the less familiar world of policy and politics, a world in which many nurses do not feel prepared to operate effectively.” Abood, S. (2007).
The Essay on Should Governments Provide a Universal Healthcare System?
Universal health care is the provision of medical services by governments that are usually either free or subsidised. Many countries around the world provide this type of service to their citizens including the UK, Canada, Spain and most Nordic countries. The UK’s National Health System, for instance, was founded over 60 years ago with the promise of caring for the British people ‘From Cradle to ...
I really believe these barriers need to be removed and the healthcare system should take better advantage of the knowledge, wisdom, and experience nurses have to offer. It is a problem that can be overcome, if the healthcare system recognizes and welcomes nurses’ expertise, and then the nurses offer it more readily and aggressively. One of the mottos I practice by is there is a problem if a meeting is being held about patient care, and a nurse is not present. With my experience, I have noticed that many Americans who qualify for healthcare coverage are not seeking out state-funded programs as well as Medicare and Medicaid programs or may not have been advised that they could have access to health coverage through these programs.
One key component is to provide education on resources that will promote access to various healthcare coverage. Education also needs to be focused on the prevention of illness. This includes teaching exercise, nutrition and better habits that can reduce the need for medical intervention in the future. As we discussed earlier this past week, Evidence-based practice improves the quality of patient care. Integrating the use of evidence based practice will help to solve clinical problems by making decisions based on patient reports, clinician observations and research data, hence influencing.
