Learning Outcome #4

The BSN learning outcome #4 states, "Demonstrate basic knowledge of healthcare policy, finance, and regulatory environments including local, state, national, and global healthcare trends." I met this outcome by completing my community project paper in nursing 4020, and completing the discussion in nursing 4020 regarding the United States health care spending. 

Excerpt from my community project paper: 

What defines a community? How does one go about making a community better? In the textbook, Community/Public Health Nursing, community is defined as a collection of people who interact with one another and whose common interests or characteristics form the basis for a sense of unity and belonging (Nies, & McEwen, 2011). Nurses have an obligation to help improve communities in any way that they can. In this paper I will discuss a community project that I planned and implemented in order to improve the community I live in. The community project I decided to do was to teach CPR and basic first aid to seventh grade students at Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School. In this lesson, I also discussed nursing as a career choice and the educational requirements one must have to get into nursing school. This intervention improved the community through educating students about CPR and giving them knowledge about a solid career option. Through teaching CPR to these students, I improved the St. George community and contributed to the overall wellness of this society.

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders.

Nursing 4020 Discussion: 

I think that there are many possible reasons that the U.S. spends more money percentage wise on health care than any other country in the world, but only ranks 37th on performance of deliver of health care. I think that one reason the U.S. spends more money on health care is because Americans are a lot less healthy than other countries. There are individual behaviors that Healthy People 2020 recognize as detrimental to health such as tobaccos use, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity (Nies & McEwen, 2011). I think that these things contribute Americans having to spend more money on health care costs. I think that the U.S. only ranks 37th because not a lot of people are aware of this statistic. Most people that I have worked with, and myself, believe that we are doing a good job, and patients are satisfied with the care they are receiving. A possible solution to this is to be to educate health care workers about our ranking on performance on delivery of health care. "We recommend that ministries of health and international organizations should actively help translate research findings into action to improve health-worker performance, and thereby improve health" (Rowe, 2005). I think that health care workers would work harder if they were aware of our ranking in healthcare delivery performance. I have no opinion on whether or not healthcare legislation has made things better or worse. An article I read stated, "the ACA (Affordable Care Act) has provided a platform and a commitment to testing new approaches to how health care is delivered and paid for, as well as recognition that there is no single solution" (Doherly, 2015). I think that they are working towards making things better, they just haven't come up with one major, simple solution yet. 

Sources:

Doherly, J. (2015). The Affordable Care Act's Payment and Delivery System Reforms: A Progress Report at Five Years. Retrieved August 29, 2016, from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/may/aca-payment-and-delivery-system-reforms-at-5-years.

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders.

Rowe, A. (2005, September). How can we achieve and maintain high-quality performance of health workers in low-resource settings? Retrieved August 29, 2016.

Reflection: 
Both this APA paper and discussion attributed to my competence in learning outcome #4. The community project paper helped me know regulatory environments including local, state, national, and global healthcare trends. The second discussion was about health care costs in the United States. This discussion helped me demonstrate basic knowledge of healthcare policy and finance. Through these two assignments I became proficient in this learning outcome. I try and stay mindful about costs and environmental concerns in my nursing practice. It is always good to be reminded that there is a business to be run behind the scenes of hospitals.