Assignment 2: Policy Brief

Assignment 2: Policy Brief

Assignment 2: Policy Brief (19 Points)
The student will write a policy brief related to health care and the effect on nursing practice.
Assignment Criteria
1. Develop a Policy Brief
o Utilize the selected bill from Assignment 1
o Follow the guidelines from Porche (15-11) and Weekly Guide/Week 2
2. The assignment should be one or two pages excluding the title and reference page.
3. Include a minimum of three (3) professional peer-reviewed scholarly journal references to support the brief (review in Ulrich’s
Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old.
4. Include an APA formatted title and reference page.
5. The brief can be single spaced using 12-pt Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.
6. Submit the assignment to Turnitin Direct prior to the final submission, review the Originality Report, and make any needed
changes.
7. Submit to the Assignment Drop Box by the posted due date.

 

Assignment 2: Policy Brief

Students will develop a written Policy Brief utilizing the chosen state or federal bill selected in Assignment 1. A policy brief is a “short document providing findings and recommendations to an audience who may not be experts in an area of interest” which serves to give policy advice (DeMarco & Adams, 2014, p. 209). Nurse leaders can utilize a policy brief to explain a perceived problem to an administrator, constituents, and/or legislators. A policy brief provides a quick snapshot of the problem or the issue and a solution. Assignment 2: Policy Brief

Review the section Policy Briefs pp. 300-302 and Box 15-11, in Porche (2019), the journal articles provided in Week 2, and new resources posted below to assist in understanding the intent and the development of a policy brief.

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Reference

DeMarco, R., & Adams, K. A. (2014). The mechanics of writing a policy brief. Nursing Outlook, 62(3), 219-224.

Assignment Criteria

Students will develop a written Policy Brief addressing the following:

  1. Introduce the selected state or federal bill used in Assignment 1.
  2. Provide a summary of the issue or problem related to the chosen state or federal bill selected in Assignment 1.
  3. Describe the background information related to the issue or problem.
  • Include key regulatory and legislative history and any related data.
  • Explain policy options or alternatives.
  • Include pros and cons of any policy option or alternative, timetable of action, political perspective with policy option and alternative, and political vote count for each policy option if known.
  • If not available, please note in the brief.
  • Discuss various stakeholder perspectives on each policy option or alternative if available.
  • Provide recommended actions.
  • The Policy Briefshould be in narrative format and two to three pages in length excluding the title and reference page.
  • No introductory paragraph, purpose statement or conclusion is needed for this Policy Brief Assignment.
  • Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the Policy Brief Assignment.
  • Include three professional peer-reviewed scholarly journal references to support the paper (review in Ulrich Periodical Directory) and should be less than five years old.
  • APA format required (attention to spelling/grammar, title page, reference page, and in-text citations).
  • Submit the assignment to Turnitin prior to the final submission, review the originality report, and make any needed changes.
  • Submit by the posted due date.

Additional Resources

Policy Briefs

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/policy-briefs/ (Links to an external site.)

Health Policy Brief Series

https://nursing.gwu.edu/health-policy-brief-series (Links to an external site.)

 Examples of Policy Briefs

Please note, if this relates to your issue or problem, you cannot use the information in these examples.

A Matter of Conscience: Examining the Law and Policy of Conscientious Objection in Health Care

https://gwu.app.box.com/v/Policy-Brief-Fry-Bowers (Links to an external site.)

Ensuring Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

https://gwu.app.box.com/s/kj1wb8le4ub6ibl9lpatrrds1j1ll0pf (Links to an external site.)

Lack of Payment for Dental Services Leading to Poor Oral Health

https://gwu.app.box.com/s/1y4cx8u6srwl3e0iyrtp2hnzbk2y0ji9 (Links to an external site.)

Child Mental Health: A Time for Innovation

https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles/Main/Content/ccchdev/1805-CCCH-PolicyBrief-29.pdf (Links to an external site.) 

Healthcare Policy Bill HR 4861

People between the ages of 15 and 44 are the primary cause of mortality from suicide (Bliokas et al., 2019). Patients in the direst situations are referred to the emergency room, where care is limited by the availability of beds and the capacity of patients to pay. Suicidal patients in the ED face long waits in packed waiting rooms and a lack of appropriate treatment options. The administration’s aim on quick patient dispositions might lead to insufficient follow-up as a result of this delay. Research shows that patients are 200 times more likely to take their own lives if they don’t get enough follow-up care after being discharged from the hospital (Chung et al., 2019). To better assess suicidal patients in emergency rooms and ensure that they get proper follow-up treatment, Florida congressman Gus Bilirakis has presented legislation to that effect in Congress. For the purposes of this study, healthcare policy bill 4861, as well as the author’s justification for selecting it, will be discussed. Assignment 2: Policy Brief

Reason for HR 4861

Providing grant money to research ways to improve emergency department treatment for people considering suicide is recommended by the “Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act” of 2019. The goal of this approach is to better coordinate patient release and follow-up by educating and training emergency department personnel to identify high-risk patients. Suicidal patients hospitalized to the emergency department in 2017 said that their stay was unpleasant and that follow-up after discharge was insufficient (Shand et al.).

 

 

Purpose and Expected Outcomes

Improving inpatient and outpatient teamwork and creating an environment conducive to better patient outcomes are the primary goals of this proposal. Today, the inpatient environment and subsequent treatment are not linked. For suicidal patients, ensuring a smooth transition from hospital to outpatient treatment should be a top focus because of evidence that proper discharge planning improves the patient’s physical health (Bliokas et al., 2019). Inconsistent referrals may necessitate that the patient book an appointment on their own. For those who have attempted suicide, the decisions and follow-up meetings may be difficult, which might exacerbate feelings of despair and loneliness (Shand et al., 2017). If passed, the law will guarantee that patients get follow-up care from professionals in the mental health field who are properly qualified. The results of the first visit should reflect patient follow-up, since no-shows now make about 70% of all appointments (Knesper, 2010). A new risk assessment for all patients in the ED will assist identify individuals who need a qualified specialist to evaluate their mental health. As a result, even though the healthcare law does not explicitly establish outcome measures, grant money is required to include precise, quantifiable results.

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Bill Sponsors

The bill’s bipartisan backing suggests that it has a broader base of support than previously thought. Democrats Eligel, E. Tonko, P. Gabbard, T. Luria, E. Titus, D. Rush, and B. Krishanooprithi, R. backed healthcare bill 4861, as did Republicans Bilirakis, G. Katko, and J. Davis, R.

 

 

Reasons for Chosen Bill

The emergency department (ED) is often overflowing with depressed and suicidal patients, who are handled in a different way than individuals hospitalized for more prevalent ailments like heart or respiratory problems. Patients with physical problems get the same level of care and treatment regardless of their capacity to pay; financed or not. With their possessions confiscated and weapons check by security, People suffering from mental illnesses are kept in a cramped quarter with just one television installed flush and securely behind plexiglass. Lethality is assessed by providers using prepared, uncaring remarks, and they are then left to wait with no idea of where they will end up.

Prior to harming themselves, depressed and suicidal individuals often visit the ED (Shand et al., 2017). Patients at risk of depression and suicidal thoughts should be identified by healthcare practitioners with particular training in the detection process. Collaboration between inpatient and outpatient institutions is essential to guarantee that the suicidal patient receives the same level of treatment in both settings.

References

Bliokas, V. V., Hains, A. R., Allan, J. A., Lago, L., & Sng, R. (2019). Community-based aftercare following an emergency department presentation for attempted suicide or high risk for suicide: study protocol for a non-randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7751-8

Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019, no. 4861, 116th Congress (2019). https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr4861/text

Knesper, D. J. (2010). Continuity of care for suicide prevention and research: Suicide attempts and suicide deaths after discharge from the emergency department or psychiatry inpatient unit. Newton, MA: Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

Shand, F. L., Batterham, P. J., Chan, J. K. Y., Pirkis, J., Spittal, M. J., Woodward, A., & Christensen, H. (2017). Experience of Health Care Services After a Suicide Attempt: Results from an Online Survey. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 48(6), 779–787. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12399 Assignment 2: Policy Brief