Learning+Activity+7

Learning Activity 7:

1.a. Identify any existing policies that directly affect the scenario you are addressing.

Within the CRNBC Practice Standards, one of particular significance is “Assignment Between Nurses.”

The Government of B.C’s health care budget and each health authorities budget will directly affect the funding allocated to each hospital and nursing unit. This in turn affects how many nurses are able to be hired and what kind of resources are available to the units.

b. Identify any policies that indirectly affect your scenario.

The Government of Canada’s Federal Budget reflects the amount of money allocated to each province and territory. The province of B.C. then allocates funding appropriately. As such this indirectly affects our scenario’s budget which affects how many nurses are to be hired and support services available.

c. Determine if there is a consistency between the policies you have reviewed.

The consistency is that the policies are inter related. One policy directly affects another policy in terms of funding and as such resource allocation.

d. Identify any gaps in the available policies that need to be addressed.

Lack of communication opportunities for all stakeholders to have a say in the allocation of funding is a major gap. While RN’s are supported and have a voice through their union and the ARNBC for nurses in B.C., policy development at the government level does not reflect the changes that need to occur at the ground floor. As such the needs of units and nurses are being unmet. As the health needs of Canadians change, the policies that govern health authorities and provincial governments need to reflect those needs.

2. Reflect on how the social determinants of health influence the policy design process in the development of your scenario.

The most pertinent social determinants that directly affect our scenario include: Environment, income, food security, poverty, education, gender, culture as well as access to health care.

3. To address the identified policy gaps for your scenario, brainstorm which steps of the policy design process would be important for nursing input in developing a new policy to address these gaps and help achieve your scenario:

a. Identify the issue: Communication between stakeholders in Canadian health care at the federal and provincial/territorial level. b. Set priorities: Create an open communication environment between nurses in Canada and the Federal and Provincial/Territory Governments. c. Uncover the evidence: A comprehensive search of the literature regarding communication between health care providers will be undertaken as well as a search of government policies reflecting our needs. d. choose instruments for policy formation: We are unable to determine which instrument to utilize as we are not participating in policy formation. e. Adopt and implement the policy: Adoption of policy is the responsibility of the varying levels of Government and health authorities. Implementation of the policies is the responsibility of the nurse within their scope of practice. f. Communicate the policy: All stakeholders involved need to be communicated with. To achieve this email, phone calls, memos, in-services, meetings and online resources need to be utilized. g. Address barriers to implementation: Bureaucracy, lack of funding available, power struggles, resistance to change. h. Evaluate the outcome: Open communication, questionnaires, meetings and public forums. i. Policy revisions: Based on evaluation and feedback from stakeholders.