NURSING POLICY BRIEF

NURSING POLICY BRIEF

NUR3894CBE Section
01CBE Contemporary Issues in Nursing (11 Weeks) – CBE – 2021 Summer Quarter
Deliverable 2 –
Nursing Policy Brief
Assignment Content

Competency
Debate current healthcare policy as it relates to nursing
practice.

Student Success Criteria
View the grading rubric for this deliverable by selecting
the “This item is graded with a rubric” link, which is located in the Details
& Information pane.

Scenario
You are a nursing member of a healthcare organization on a
policy subcommittee. The subcommittee has been asked to prepare an advocacy
policy brief on a current policy that can be presented for facility adoption.
As an active nurse advocate, it is important your voice is heard on a matter
important to you as this is your chance to influence policy.

Prepare a policy brief. Identify and support your stance
by addressing the following:

Explain your selected healthcare policy.
Address the background of the problem
requiring the policy.
Address how the policy is relevant to your
nursing practice or area of interest.
Identify if this policy impacts practice at
the local, state and/or national level.
Evaluate how this policy could impact health
care and further explain how this policy would influence nursing
practice.
Provide evidence to support your stance on
how you can implement the current policy.
Explain ways you can assist in implementing
this policy as a nurse advocate.

Resources

For additional assistance on writing a policy
brief, please visit the FAQ called What is a policy brief?
For additional assistance finding policies
related to nursing, please visit the GovTrack website
For additional APA assistance, please visit
the Rasmussen APA Guide.

Module 01 Introduction

In this module, you
will have the opportunity to master the following competency:

Evaluate responses of communicable
diseases in healthcare today.

Further, the content in this module will help you
achieve the following learning objectives:

Assess the impact of current
communicable disease threats on healthcare.
Explain the nurse’s role in the
identification and eradication of communicable diseases.
Critique the nurse’s response to a
communicable disease outbreak.

The Impact of Communicable Disease Threats
Communicable disease
threats are ever-changing, fluctuating in incidence and prevalence,
varying in severity, and affecting healthcare in a number of ways. A
particular communicable disease may be quite prevalent for a period of
time, or in a particular area, only to be eradicated, or perhaps
overshadowed by a more rampant disease. In addition, a disease may be
thought to be eliminated, only to re-emerge and overwhelm a population.

With the increased mobility of the global
population, the transmission of infectious diseases is becoming more of a
concern (Manning, 2016). Healthcare providers from the U.S. are traveling
overseas to respond to disease epidemics, and non-healthcare providers are
going to the U.S. from these areas. Overseas travel has resulted in the
introduction of emerging infectious diseases into the U.S. (Manning, 2016).

Another consideration is the effect of natural
disasters on the transmission of infectious disease. When inhabitants of areas
affected by disasters are displaced into neighboring countries, there is an
increased incidence and prevalence of illness, as well as a lack of health
services for communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV (Tappero et
al., 2017). This increases the risk is exposure and transmission of these
diseases to the neighboring inhabitants.

Bioterrorism must also be considered in relation to
disease transmission. Although bioterrorism is not likely the first thing that
comes to mind when thinking about communicable diseases, healthcare providers
must be aware of the potential for communicable diseases, such as smallpox, to
be utilized to purposefully infect a population (CDC, 2017).

TRAVEL The increased mobility of the
global population increases the risk for the transmission of infectious
diseases.

NATURAL DISASTERS Natural
disasters disrupt neighborhoods and health care services, increasing the risk
for disease exposure and transmission.

BIOTERRORISM Bioterrorism
involves the use of a communicable disease to purposefully infect a population.

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES Emerging
infectious diseases are infections that are increasing in incidence or
prevalence, or have recently appeared in a geographical location or within a
population.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
provides information related to current disease outbreaks: https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html

References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017,
September 15). Bioterrorism. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/Bioterrorism.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018,
October 18). CDC current outbreak list. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html

Tappero, J. W., Cassell, C. H., Bunnell, R., Angulo,
F. J., Craig, A., Pesik, N….Martin, R. (2017). US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and its partners’ contributions to global health security. Emerging
Infections Diseases, 23(13), S5-S14. https://dx-doi-org.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/10.3201/eid2313.170946.

Manning, M.L. (2016). Emerging infectious diseases:
Global to local implications. Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, 27(3),
12-16. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=118931020&site=eds-live
S5-S14. https://dx-doi-org.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/10.3201/eid2313.170946.

Assessing a Recent Threat
The devastation of the
2014 – 2016 outbreak of the Ebola virus was evidence of the continued lack
of a timely and effective plan for response. With over 11,000 deaths in
West Africa attributed to the outbreak (CDC, 2017), there is still work to
be done to improve the response to this type of threat.

MISCONCEPTIONS
There continues to be misconceptions regarding the
transmission of Ebola, with about 25% of Guinea residents believing that Ebola
is transmitted by air (Jalloh et. al, 2017). In addition, half of Guinea
residents believe mosquitos transmit Ebola (Jalloh et. al, 2017). This points
to the continued need for increased education among this population related to
the Ebola virus.

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Cultural practices must also be assessed when
considering the risks for Ebola transmission. Inhabitants of West Africa are
more likely to participate in traditional practices related to handling and
burying a deceased individual that was infected with Ebola, which includes
close physical contact with the corpse (Jalloh et al., 2017). This supports the
necessity for education related to the continued infectious state of deceased
Ebola victim.

LOCATION
The location of the Ebola outbreak is also necessary
to consider. Low socioeconomic status, inadequate telecommunications, and
insufficient transportation made communication related to the Ebola outbreak
very difficult (World Health Organization, 2015). This was an obvious
contributor to the quick and vast spread of the disease over several areas of
West Africa.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017,
December 27). 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html

Jalloh, M. F., Robinson, S. J., Corker, J., Wenshu,
L., Irwin, K., Barry, A. M., & … Li, W. (2017). Knowledge, attitudes, and
practices related to Ebola virus disease at the end of a national epidemic –
Guinea, August 2015. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 66(41),
1109-1115. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6641a4

World Health Organization. (2015, January).
Emergencies preparedness, response: Factors that contributed to undetected
spread of the Ebola virus and impeded rapid containment. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/one-year-report/factors/en/

The Nurse’s Response
The nurse’s response
to communicable disease is of particular importance as nurses are often
the first to come into contact with those seeking treatment for a
communicable disease. Several components that have been attributed to a
nurse’s ability to respond to and manage an infectious disease.

The Nurse
Knowledge and Skills
The knowledge and skills a nurse has regarding the
manifestation of a disease, and the associated measures for preventing the
spread of infection, contributes to increased confidence and competence in the
care of patients with infectious disease (Lam et al., 2018).

Previous Experience
When a nurse has previous experience in managing
disease outbreaks, this contributes to increased awareness and precaution,
making the nurse feel more prepared to manage the outbreak (Lam et al., 2018).

Value of Profession
Nurses refer to the value of their profession in
having a duty to care for patients (Lam et al., 2018). Nurses realize the risk
of exposure related to this duty, yet accept the responsibility and obligation
to care for those that need it (Lam et al., 2018).

Support of Peers
Nurses value the support of their peers, especially
in the spirit of multidisciplinary collaboration (Lam et al., 2018). Team
spirit was associated with increased morale and support amid a crisis
situation, such as a disease outbreak (Lam et al., 2018).

Effective Leadership
Effective leadership and the support from management
and higher authorities played a role in the level of a nurse’s competence and
preparedness in responding to a disease outbreak (Lam et al., 2018). The
availability of adequate and appropriately trained staff was essential in
providing management of support during a disease epidemic. Extra staff, when
not adequately trained, actually decreased the effectiveness of nurses in
responding to an outbreak (Lam et al., 2018).

References
Lam, S. K. K., Kwong, E. W. Y., Hung, M. S. Y.,
Pang, S. M. C., & Chiang, V. C. L. (2018). Nurses’ preparedness for
infectious disease outbreaks: A literature review and narrative synthesis of
qualitative evidence. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(7–8), e1244–e1255.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/10.1111/jocn.14210

Obstacles in the Emergency Setting
The first individuals
likely to assess an individual with an infectious disease is the nurse
working in the emergency department setting. Because of this, emergency
department nurses must be actively involved in infection control and
disease prevention measures. When an emerging infectious disease presents
itself, modifications in the workflow may be required to meet the needs of
the victims, while keeping themselves and other patients safe (Lam, Kwong,
Hung, & Pang, 2016). These modifications need to be supported by
guidelines that assist nurses in making decisions and judgments that will
help ensure the safety of all of those involved.

A study by Lam et al. (2016) focused on the gap
between these guidelines and actual nursing practice in the emergency department
setting. Nurses were able to identify several barriers to complying with the
guidelines that were focused on emerging infectious diseases. Many of these
examples related to a lack of time. Nurses reported that the time to perform
hand hygiene and utilize appropriate personal protective equipment could hinder
compliance (Lam et al., 2016). However, nurses also verbalized the likelihood
that they would comply with infection control measures if they felt a
particular client was more at risk for being infectious, such as recent travel
to an outbreak-infected area (Lam et al., 2016). These findings are
particularly worrisome, as we see nurses deviating from guidelines, which were
put in place to minimize the chance of disease transmission.

The same study also discussed how the lack of
infrastructure made it difficult for nurses to comply with infection control
measures. Lam et al. (2016) discuss a nurse’s concerns for utilizing
resuscitation rooms as isolation rooms, as occupying these rooms for quarantine
purposes left risk for a patient who may need the room for resuscitation
measures. Nurses remain concerned for the welfare of the other patients
requiring routine emergency care, and how the focus on emerging infectious
diseases may take away from the other important interventions occurring in the
emergency department (Lam et al., 2016).

These examples provide insight into the obstacles
related to responding to infectious diseases in the emergency setting. Though
nursing should always be focused on compliance with infection control measures,
it is evident that interventions are needed to overcome the barriers that make
compliance with these measures more difficult. Hospital administration should
focus on developing guidelines for responding to infectious disease and
removing the barriers and obstacles in order to comply with the guidelines.

What Would You Do?
You are a nurse in the emergency department. You are
concerned with the increased workload and short staffing in your department.
You notice that many of your coworkers are not performing hand hygiene before
or after patient care. You also note that they are not appropriately isolating
patients who present with potentially contagious diseases. What would you do?

As a nurse, your primary responsibility is to
protect the patients under your care. There are many avenues that you could
take to address these issues. The first is to draw attention to these actions,
both among your coworkers and management, in an effort to stop the behavior.
Next, what recommendations do you have as a nurse to make compliance easier?
For example, would an increase in hand hygiene stations be helpful? Or perhaps
education for the emergency department staff on disease transmission would be
of value. How else might you respond in this situation?

References
Lam, S. K., Kwong, E. W., Hung, M. S., & Pang,
S. M. (2016). Bridging the gap between guidelines and practice in the
management of emerging infectious diseases: A qualitative study of emergency
nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(19–20), 2895–2905. https://doi-org.ezproxy.rasmussen.edu/10.1111/jocn.13343

CDC CURRENT OUTBREAK LIST
https://www.cdc.gov/outbreaks/index.html

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