Leadership Collaboration Communication Change Management and Policy Considerations for a Population Health Problem

Leadership Collaboration Communication Change Management and Policy Considerations for a Population Health Problem

The dynamicity of modern communities often presents compromises to healthcare efforts to ensure their well-being. Nurses are tasked with identifying these changes and establishing a framework for addressing them. To effect these changes, nurse leaders must demonstrate proficiency in leadership, collaboration, and advocacy abilities and enact change processes in healthcare and at the community level. Contemporary society has seen several population health problems. The opioid crisis is such a population problem that it has devastating consequences. This paper details leadership, collaboration, communication, and policy considerations for the opioid addiction crisis.

Health Problem: The Opioid Addiction Crisis

The opioid addiction crisis in the U.S. highlights one of the most devastating population health issues that has hit the country in the recent past. The opioid addiction issue received recognition from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a public health emergency in 2017. The genesis of the issue dates back to the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies dealing in the manufacture and sale of opioid medications assured the public of its safety and less potential for addiction. This saw an increase in the prescription and subsequent use of these medications to manage pain. This led to widespread misuse of these medications with consequential addiction.

Research findings on the epidemic reveal the harrowing state of this population issue. As of 2019, over 80,000 people have died of opioid overdose and addiction, while 1.6 million Americans developed opioid addiction disorder in the past year. Over 10 million Americans also misuse opioid analgesics. Synthetic opioids such as heroin and methadone were responsible for significant casualties during the epidemic. Over 745,000 people used heroin between 2017 and 2018, with over 14,000 dying from an overdose of the same.

These statistics reinforce the need for coordinated, vigilant, and sustained efforts in dealing with the pandemic. The healthcare system has a role to play. This practicum intends to work with persons with chronic pain who are on routine prescription opioid analgesic use. This group represents the most vulnerable people to vulnerable misuse, addiction, and the devastating consequences of overdose and addiction.

Nurses’ role in patient handling and care provisions places them in a strategic position to address this problem. They must possess the required knowledge of the crisis to execute health promotion efforts for the at-risk groups. Baccalaureate training equips nurses with leadership and advocacy skills that enable them to intervene effectively and bridge care gaps in addressing this epidemic. Baccalaureate-prepared nurses, in this regard, should use evidence-based nursing interventions to ameliorate the harmful effects of opioid misuse in society.

Analysis of a Peer-Reviewed Article on Nursing Role in the Opioid Crisis

The opioid addiction epidemic highlighted the significance of addiction and chronic pain management in the conceptualization of the driving factors for this crisis. Compton & Blacher (2020) challenge nurses’ understanding of the two concepts and posit that neither undergraduate nor graduate-level nursing curricula adequately equip nurses with the competencies to provide effective interventions. The authors of the article provide sufficient supporting evidence to back their claims. Their claims are also reflective of the actual scenario in nursing training. There is paucity and limitation in the content on addiction given to nurses compared to their counterparts in medical and pharmacy schools.

The reliability of data is based on a specific set of criteria. This criterion includes timeliness, relevance, purpose, accuracy, and authority. Data will be said to be unreliable if it misses out on any of the set criteria. The article used was timely as it is a 2020 study, accurate because it is peer-reviewed and draws findings from peer-reviewed papers, and relevant as it interrogates the adequacy of nursing roles in intervening effectively in the opioid crisis.

The current nursing curricula demonstrate some paucity in the addiction and chronic pain management content required to enhance nursing competencies in effective interventions. Campbell (2020) expresses the need to increase content on addiction, chronic pain management, and opioid use. According to Wason et al. (2021), several barriers to curriculum modification exist. There is no clarity on which substance use content to be added or hours to be allocated for this purpose. Additionally, a universal consensus on this addition is yet to be reached, with variations on faculties willing or already implementing these changes.

As nurses assume more active roles in caring for substance abuse disorders, their efforts in opioid crisis handling are necessitated. There has been a concerted effort to increase this content and other content related to opioid use among APRNs. Nursing competencies on addiction not only enhance their standards of care but also establish a groundwork for building concrete skills and knowledge on addiction nursing (Wason et al., 2021). The American Nursing Association (ANA) also defines the scope and standard of nursing practice for advances in addiction. It requires that the incumbent authorities in care organizations handling addiction ensure that nurses handling addictions have the required credentials and certifications and are subjected to regulatory decision-making and orientation programs.

Nurses can also play a role in policy-making on effective interventions to curtail the devastating consequences of the opioid addiction crisis. As health advocates, their roles include advocating for resource allocations to vulnerable communities, educating communities on the harmful effects of opioid use, and basic provisions. Besides, BARZEGAR SAFARI et al. (2020) demonstrate that nurses’ significance in developmental policy processes regarding opioid interventions is highlighted by their ability to participate in policy-making processes, inform their effectiveness in addressing the problem and implement the policy changes in their operationalization.

Nursing theories have traditionally provided a conceptual framework that guides nursing care processes. The nursing trans-cultural theory posited by Madeleine Lenninger reinforces the need for nurses to understand diverse cultural backgrounds. This theoretical provision is important going into the practicum as it equips nurses with prerequisite skills required in cross-cultural caring and handling multicultural work environments. It enables nurses to personalize care approaches in alignment with the cultural and individual beliefs of the patients and to communicate effectively with cross-cultural patients.

How State Board Nursing Practice Standards and Organizational or Governmental Policies Could Affect the Opioid Crisis

In the wake of the opioid epidemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) heightened measures to address this crisis. The HHS detailed five-point interventions for opioid addiction crisis management. These are enhancing research on opioid crisis interventions, providing addiction prevention services, providing data on the epidemic, better pain management, and better targeting of opioid antidotes. On the other hand, the NIH advocated for alternative non-addictive strategies to manage chronic pain. The enactment of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act and the Opioid Crisis Review Act (OCRA) were also pivotal in this fight. These enactments improved care responses to the crisis by encouraging preventive measures and treatment of substance abuse disorders. In addition, Lee et al. (2021) demonstrate that the federal efforts in policy provisions and care interventions targeting the opioid crisis have seen a reduction in the misuse of prescription opioids in the U.S.

Nurses maintain significance in the policy-making processes targeting opioid crisis interventions. Their role in this regard is to conform to the practice standards outlined by the HHS and to provide care to persons with overdose. They should also participate in the data collection process for the incidence of overdose, detailing care processes that may require adjustments. Their advocacy roles also make them valuable in educating patients on the harmful effects of opioids. Baccalaureate-prepared nurses and graduate nurses can also participate in research processes seeking to identify alternative non-addictive pain management remedies as set out by HHS and NIH.

State policies on opioid interventions outline the need for preventive and treatment measures for opioid overdose and addiction. These policies implore nurses to utilize their nursing knowledge in advocacy to rally communities against opioid misuse. As health educators, nurses are expected to inform communities about the harmful effects of opioids and the need for rational use of prescription opioid analgesics. However, these policies fall short of expanding nurses’ involvement in managing this epidemic. Limitation still exists on nursing practice authority and the ability of nurses to prescribe opioid analgesics in chronic pain (Nikpour & Broome, 2021). Additionally, fewer changes have been made to ensure comprehensive nursing education on opioid use disorders and chronic pain management.

Leadership Strategies to Improve Outcomes, Patient-Centered Care, and the Patient Experience Related to the Opioid Crisis

Effective leadership is paramount for effective intervention in the opioid epidemic. Thus, nurses and other healthcare professionals should adopt effective leadership strategies. These strategies include effective communication, the ability to inspire organizational subjects toward change, and self-awareness. Successful leaders also maintain organizational transparency and demonstrate learning agility.

Leadership plays a big role in containing the epidemic. Leaders enhance organizational vigilance towards the crisis by influencing organizational members to be vigilant. They also rally organizational members towards the set-out goals, thus ensuring their collaboration and concertedness in epidemic interventions. Leaders also coordinate care among professionals, thus ensuring that every aspect that needs to be addressed is properly handled.

Collaboration and effective communication are both warranted to ensure the containment of the opioid crisis. Effective collaboration strategies in healthcare include sharing responsibilities, effective communication, role interdependence, assumption of complementary roles, mutual respect, accountability, and cooperation (Schot et al., 2019). To communicate effectively, both parties should use simple language, be good listeners, maintain flexibility toward the other’s opinions, remain genuine during conversations, and maintain objectivity. These strategies foster a positive work environment and perpetuate peer understanding.

To effect change processes in healthcare, leaders must utilize effective change management strategies in these change processes. These strategies include maintaining transparency, effective communication, inviting participation from organizational members, and creating a roadmap for the change process (Moussa et al., 2019). Leaders should also choose a suitable change model to utilize in the change processes and be patient with the change process.

Conclusion

The opioid addiction crisis highlights one of the ongoing population issues that present challenges to the healthcare system. The adverse consequences of this epidemic warrant healthcare changes to maintain health preservation efforts in communities. Nurses play a role in this epidemic. Their knowledge and skills place them in strategic positions to participate in policy-making processes targeting enhancing interventions. To be effective in this respect, they should demonstrate exemplary leadership and have the ability to collaborate with other health professionals.

References

BARZEGAR SAFARI, M., BAHADORI, M., & ALIMOHAMMADZADEH, K. (2020). The Related Factors of Nurses’ Participation and Perceived Benefits and Barriers in Health Policy Making. Journal Of Nursing Research, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000385

Campbell, E. (2020). Faculty Perspectives of Teaching Pain Management to Nursing Students. Pain Management Nursing, 21(2), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2019.07.010

Compton, P., & Blacher, S. (2020). Nursing Education in the Midst of the Opioid Crisis. Pain Management Nursing, 21(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2019.06.006

Lee, B., Zhao, W., Yang, K., Ahn, Y., & Perry, B. (2021). Systematic Evaluation of State Policy Interventions Targeting the US Opioid Epidemic, 2007-2018. JAMA Network Open, 4(2), e2036687. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.36687

Moussa, L., Garcia-Cardenas, V., & Benrimoj, S. (2019). Change Facilitation Strategies Used in the Implementation of Innovations in Healthcare Practice: A Systematic Review. Journal of Change Management, 19(4), 283-301. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2019.1602552

Nikpour, J., & Broome, M. (2021). Impact of Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice on Treatment for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: A Scoping Review. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 11(4), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(20)30176-9

Schot, E., Tummers, L., & Noordegraaf, M. (2019). Working on working together. A systematic review of how healthcare professionals contribute to interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34(3), 332-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2019.1636007

Wason, K., Potter, A., Alves, J., Loukas, V., Lastimoso, C., & Sodder, S. et al. (2021). Addiction Nursing Competencies. JONA: The Journal Of Nursing Administration, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/nna.0000000000001041

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Requirements
The assessment requirements outlined below, correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, note the additional requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

Leadership Collaboration Communication Change Management and Policy Considerations for a Population Health Problem

Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.
Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population.
Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.
Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.
Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy-making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum.
Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy-making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice within the context of this problem.
Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies.
Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem.
Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem.
Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem.
Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
Additional Requirements
Format: Format your paper using APA style. APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is provided to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include:
A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
Appropriate section headings.
Length: Your paper should be approximately 5–7 pages in length, not including the reference page.
Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.
Proofreading: Proofread your paper before you submit it to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on its substance.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Lead people and processes to improve patient, systems, and population outcomes.
Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to personal and professional practice.
Competency 2: Make clinical and operational decisions based on the best available evidence.
Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to a defined patient, family, or population problem.
Competency 5: Analyze the impact of health policy on quality and cost of care.
Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect a defined patient, family, or population problem.
Competency 7: Implement patient-centered care to improve the quality of care and the patient experience.
Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to a defined patient, family, or population problem and document the practicum hours spent with these individuals or group in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Competency 8: Integrate professional standards and values into practice.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.