Essential V Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care

Dakwa, Evelyn _DNP Essentials V-VIII
COLLAPSE
CSP topic – Meeting Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Goals For Clinically Obese Adults

DNP Essentials V-VIII

Essential V Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care

Health care policy as stated in the DNP Essentials document creates a framework that can facilitate the delivery of health care services. This can be achieved when a provider exhibits the ability to engage in practice to address health care needs. As far as engagement in the process of policy development central to creating a health care system that meets the needs of its constituents in reference to my CSP there is currently no direct influence but the ability to to assume a broad leadership role on behalf of the public (my bariatric population) as well as the nursing profession (Ehrenreich, 2002) is what can be addressed. As a DNP graduate able to design, implement and advocate for health care policy that addresses issues of morbid obesity, I intend to become a potent influencer in policy formation of this population and integrate my practice experiences to analyze the policy process and to engage in politically competent action (O’Grady, 2004) to favor this population. I had the opportunity last semester in the Health Care Policy class to to engage proactively in the development and implementation of a health policy at the Federal Level when we had to find a bill in the house/senate, contact our local representatives to support the bill. I found one that would directly impact my bariatric patients, the bill S. 3657 – Medical Nutrition Equity Act of 2020 introduced in May. This bill expands coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, other specified federal health care programs, and private health insurance to include foods, vitamins, and individual amino acids that are medically necessary for the management of certain digestive and metabolic disorders and conditions. This is vital because Nutritional, mineral and vitamin deficiency is a common occurrence in the Bariatric population. Therefore, it is a public health crisis to address. When these deficiencies go unaddressed, they can lead to serious and often irreversible complications and even death. By doing this and with implementation of my CSP I have and will demonstrate leadership in the implementation of federal/institutional health care policy, Influenced policy makers through active participation in communication in support of a bill and educating others, including policy makers at all levels, regarding nursing, health policy, and patient care outcomes for morbidly obese patients. In my future role as a DNP graduate I hope to continue to find more areas to get involved in and be a health care policy advocate (AACN, 2006)

Essential VI Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes

Today’s complex, multi-tiered health care environment depends on the contributions of highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals from multiple professions and it is no different in my organization where my CSP will take place. Due to this, my advanced preparation in the interprofessional dimension of health care has and will enable me to facilitate collaborative team functioning and overcome impediments to interprofessional practice. I have and will continue to play a central role in establishing interprofessional teams, participating in the work of the team, and assuming leadership of the team when appropriate throughout this project. I have employed effective communication and collaborative skills in the development and implementation of practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, standards of care, and/or other scholarly products with regards to where I am as far as my CSP is concerned. I have been able to convince all the stakeholders who are all on board with the study and as soon as the site and the hospital’s IRB are approved I can continue with my project. The analysis of complex practice of Bariatric patients employs leadership skills with intraprofessional teams to create change in health care and I have so far applied those skills to get to this point and will continue to appliy these skills after graduation in whatever field I choose to practice (AACN, 2006).

Essential VII Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation’s Health

Health promotion and risk reduction/illness prevention in the bariatric population is the focus of my CSP which is encompassed in the VII DNP Essential. Central to achieving the national goal of improving the health status is the implementation of clinical prevention and population health activities reflected in my CSP. I will be educating and helping morbidly obese adults to lose weight, at least 10% of their excess body weight before bariatric surgery, thus fulfiling this essential of improving the nation’s health. This is directly in line with Healthy People 2020’s Nutrition and Weight Status that aligns with my CSP. Since prevention interventions are underutilized in health care settings, I intend to target unhealthy lifestyle behaviors ( lack of regular exercise, skipping meals, overating, large portions, wrong food selections etc..) that account for over 50 percent of preventable deaths in my CSP through evidence-based education to transform lives. This Essential transcends all healthcare settings as clinical prevention and population health for improving the nation’s health is all encompassing. I will therefore ensure that it is prominent in my CSP and future practices (AACN, 2006)

Essential VIII Advanced Nursing Practice

The distinctive specialization is a hallmark of the DNP graduate and this last Essential depicts that. As a DNP graduate I am expected to demonstrate refined assessment skills and base my practice on the application of biophysical, psychosocial, behavioral, sociopolitical, cultural, economic, and nursing science as appropriate in my area of specialization. In this case for the puposes of meeting bariatric surgery patients weight loss goals before surgery all the above mentioed dimensions will be applied. Conducting a comprehensive and systematic assessment of health and illness parameters in bariatric patients and, incorporating diverse and culturally sensitive approaches will be implemented in my study. Demonstrating advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes will be implemented to successfully conduct this project. It is certainly true that no individual can master all advanced roles and the requisite knowledge for enacting these roles are the reality of the growth of specialization in nursing practice. In conducting this project I will demonstrate increased knowledge to ensure competence in the highly complex area of Bariatrics by showing expertise, advanced knowledge, and mastery in this area of nursing practice as well as future practices. (AACN, 2006).

Reference

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006). The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. American Association of Colleges

of Nursing, https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/DNPEssentials.pdf
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