The Role of Nurses in Healthcare Program Design and Implementation

Healthcare Program within My Practice

One of the healthcare programs within my practice is the Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP) for type 2 diabetes. This program aims to enhance diabetes care, patient education, ongoing monitoring, and the incorporation of telehealth services. The program is approximated to cost $200,000 annually in staff training, educational materials, and telehealth equipment: The Role of Nurses in Healthcare Program Design and Implementation.

In about 20% of the cases, we expect to see reduced hospitalization ratios due to the complications of diabetes, and the scent of cases tested HbA1c levels should improve, as well as patient satisfaction with the healthcare services they receive. Thus, decreasing the number of complications and increasing interest in patients, this program is designed to reduce the average cost of treating patients and enhance the lives of the participants.

Target Population

The target population for this program includes adults with type 2 diabetes, particularly those in underserved and low-income communities. Some of the challenges that most individuals in this population encounter include inadequate access to health facilities, low health literacy, and financial constraints. By targeting this population, the program seeks to eliminate inequalities that affect the available healthcare services (Karachaliou et al., 2020). Such an approach is critical when it comes to the evaluation of the determinants of health and desirable results for a sensitive populace.

Role of the Nurse in the Design of This Healthcare Program

Nurses play a critical role in the design phase of healthcare programs by contributing insights gained from direct patient care. For instance, in the CDMP, I proposed that culturally sensitive educational information should be used since our patient base is culturally diverse. Regarding other forms of materials, standard dissemination might not work since a significant number of the public has limited health literacy, and language barriers may hinder their understanding (Flaubert, 2021).

Nurses hold the key to the degree of engagement and comprehension with the population by offering content that resonates with the community and is written at an appropriate reading level for the population. Also, during the design phase, nurses understand some barriers, such as transport issues, and provide feasible strategies, such as home-based telecare. These contributions enable the development of an effective program that is also affordable.

My Roles in This Healthcare Program

Advocacy is a cornerstone of my role. As a nurse, I ensure patients’ voices are central to the program design. For example, I facilitated focus groups with patients to gather their perspectives on what they need for effective diabetes management. The patients’ feedback overruled the exclusion of mobile health apps for glucose monitoring, a feature that the patients greatly valued. In addition, I support resources and policies that deal with the patients’ problems more than offering input.

For instance, flexible appointment was identified as an essential concept to be included within the framework, explaining the fact that many patients have busy workplaces and/or limited access to transportation (Laari & Duma, 2023). With persistence, I come in for patients’ needs to realize a fitting program that addresses caring for patients equitably.

Role of the Nurse in the Implementation of the Program

The nurse’s role in implementation shifts from planning to hands-on execution. While the design phase involves strategizing and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, implementation focuses on putting the program into action. As per the responsibilities defined in the CDMP, I am involved in the process of patient education, where some of my tasks include training patients on how to use glucose monitors and telehealth. I also follow up with patients, check on their progress and challenges, and modify the care plans as necessary.

For instance, if a patient struggles with an app, I help them through extra training or look for different support, such as phone calls. This adaptability makes it possible for patients to stay focused as well as realize their desired health goals (Ham-Baloyi, 2022). Additionally, the implementation phase involves data collection of patient outcomes to ensure constant evaluation of the program.

Most Needed Healthcare Team Members in Program Implementation

Effective implementation requires a collaborative team. Key members include primary care physicians, dietitians, social workers, IT specialists, and community health workers. Doctors are responsible for the clinical aspect and must make sure that the provided treatments meet the current standards for practice. Dietitians provide nutritional guidance, which is critical for managing diabetes effectively.

Social workers address socioeconomic barriers, such as lack of transportation or financial difficulties, which can impact adherence. IT specialists maintain the telehealth platform and troubleshoot any technical issues to ensure smooth operation. Finally, community health workers act as liaisons between the healthcare team and the community, providing culturally appropriate support and enhancing patient engagement. Each team member brings unique expertise that contributes to the program’s overall success (Taberna, 2020).

In summary, nurses are essential to the success of healthcare programs. Our patient-centered perspective allows us to bridge the gap between clinical care and the realities of patients’ lives. Being involved in both planning and action, we achieve not only solutions but meaningful and efficient solutions that allow us to reach everyone, which will be feasible in the long run.

No challenge can be solved by investing in nursing leadership if the goal is to decrease healthcare inequalities and bring long-term changes. In my transition to the role of a nurse practitioner, I hope to extend the effort in creating and implementing change in programs that will positively transform health care.

References

Flaubert, J. (2021). The role of nurses in improving health care access and quality. In www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573910/

Ham-Baloyi, W. T. (2022). Nurses’ roles in changing practice through implementing best practices: A systematic review. Health SA Gesondheid, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v27i0.1776

Karachaliou, F., Simatos, G., & Simatou, A. (2020). The challenges in the development of diabetes prevention and care models in low-income settings. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 11(518). https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2020.00518

Laari, L., & Duma, S. E. (2023). Health advocacy role performance of nurses in underserved populations: A grounded theory study. Nursing Open, 10(9), 6527–6537. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1907

Taberna, M. (2020). The multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach and quality of care. Frontiers in Oncology, 10(85), 1–16. PubMed. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.00085

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NURSING ROLE IN PROGRAM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

As their names imply, the honeyguide bird and the honey badger both share an affinity for honey. Honeyguide birds specialize in finding beehives but struggle to access the honey within. Honey badgers are well-equipped to raid beehives but cannot always find them.

However, these two honey-loving species have learned to collaborate on an effective means to meet their objectives. The honeyguide bird guides honey badgers to newly discovered hives. Once the honey badger has ransacked the hive, the honey guide bird safely enters to enjoy the leftover honey.

Much like honeyguide birds and honey badgers, nurses and health professionals from other specialty areas can—and should—collaborate to design effective programs. Nurses bring specialties to the table that make them natural partners to professionals with different specialties. When nurses take the requisite leadership in becoming involved throughout the healthcare system, these partnerships can better design and deliver highly effective programs that meet objectives.

In this Assignment, you will practice this type of leadership by advocating for a healthcare program. Equally as important, you will advocate for a collaborative role of the nurse in the design and implementation of this program. To do this, assume you are preparing to be interviewed by a professional organization/publication regarding your thoughts on the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs.

Resources

• Short, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide(7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Chapter 4, “Policy Analysis and Design” (pp. 77–93)
  • Chapter 9, “The Influence of Patient Health Data on Health Policy” (pp. 197–217)
  • Chapter 10, “Financing Health Care” (pp. 247–257 only)
• American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). AdvocacyLinks to an external site.. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/
• govLinks to an external site.. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.congress.gov/
• Klein, K. J., & Sorra, J. S. (1996). The challenge of innovation implementationLinks to an external site.. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1055–1080.
• Office of Policy, Performance, and Evaluation. (2019). The CDC policy processLinks to an external site.. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/policyprocess/index.html
• Sacristán, J., & Dilla, T. D. (2015). No big data without small data: Learning health care systems begin and end with the individual patientLinks to an external site.. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6), 1014–1017.
• Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2014). Policy implementation, street level bureaucracy, and the importance of discretionLinks to an external site.. Public Management Review, 16(4), 527–547.

Required Media

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and reflect on your thinking regarding the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs.
• Select a healthcare program within your practice and consider the design and implementation of this program.
• Reflect on advocacy efforts and the role of the nurse in relation to healthcare program design and implementation.
  

  The Role of Nurses in Healthcare Program Design and Implementation

The Assignment: (2–4 pages)

In a 2- to 4-page paper, create an interview transcript of your responses to the following interview questions:

• Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program?
• Who is your target population?
• What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?
• What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?
• What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples?
• Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why?

By Day 7 of Week 8

Submit your interview transcript.

Submission Information

Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.

1. To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK8Assgn+LastName+Firstinitial
2. Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
3. Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.

Textbook:

• • Short, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.