Evidence Base in Design

For my discussion, I have chosen the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act of 2021 (HR 1667) (Congress.gov, n.d.). The Act seeks to specifically compel the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish programs to support mental health for healthcare professionals through providing care grants, promoting the need to seek support and behavioural health training. The Act was proposed in response to the experiences and outcomes of frontline healthcare professionals, such as severe stress and burnout, especially among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health policies can be potentially beneficial to individuals and entire communities. However, for healthcare policies to achieve the intended outcomes, they must be based on factual evidence rather than anecdotes or hearsay. Health policymakers must critically analyze the health problem and the population focused on against the proposed policy intervention.

Substantial evidence on the exacerbation of burnout, mental and behavioural health issues, and suicide among frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic supports the Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and the Mental health policy. Mitchell and George Lăzăroiu (2021) found that frontline healthcare professionals experienced increased burnout, depression, emotional exhaustion, and psychological trauma during the COVID-19 outbreak. Studies have also established that frontline healthcare workers were exposed to intensive psychological threats which require specialized psychological interventions and support (Zaka et al., 2020). The proposals of the Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act aimed to counter the rise in healthcare provider suicide rates, burnout, and mental and behavioural health issues. The establishment of a psychological first aid program for healthcare workers and proactive administration by setting up Mental Health Crisis Response Teams with full-time staff crisis call assistance was proven to provide effective mental health support during active and post-pandemic (Gray et al., 2021).

References

Congress.gov. (n.d.). H.R.1667 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1667?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HEALTH+CARE%22%2C%22HEALTH%22%2C%22CARE%22%5D%7D&s=8&r=10

Gray, M., Monti, K., Katz, C., Klipstein, K., & Lim, S. (2021). A “Mental Health PPE” model of proactive mental health support for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 299, 113878. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PSYCHRES.2021.113878

Mitchell, K., & George Lăzăroiu, C. (2021). Depressive Symptoms, Emotional Exhaustion, and Psychological Trauma Symptoms in Frontline Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management, 9(2), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.22381/pihrm9220219

Zaka, A., Shamloo, S. E., Fiorente, P., & Tafuri, A. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic as a watershed moment: A call for systematic psychological health care for frontline medical staff. Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1359105320925148, 25(7), 883–887. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320925148

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Question

When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes, anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.