Question

Discuss barriers to effective nursing advocacy in policy making? what are ways to mitigate these barriers.

Answer 1

These are some of the barriers to effective nursing advocacy in policy making includes –
•   Powerlessness-
Acts as a key barrier in advocacy for nurses.
•   Lack of support-
Most of the nurses are not supported by managers for advocacy in policy making.
•   Limited communication-
Because of limited time the nurses are not able to communicate with patients in a friendly manner and there by patients are not getting satisfaction with treatment. More time should be allocated to nurses to hear the patients words there by making a healthy relation between patients and staff and thus promotes patients spiritual status and it will reduce patients stress during treatment.
•   Risk of advocacy –
Acts as key determinant role in advocacy in policy making.
•   Lack of involvement-
This may due to lack of opportunity or due to lack of experiences of nurses.
•   Lack of knowledge and skills’
This includes lack of knowledge about health policies and process of development of health policies.
•   Lack of enabling structures-
This includes the excluding of nurses in institutional structures.
•   Lack of resources available –
This is due to not possessing the resources related to health policies in order to utilise them for policy making activities.

Ways to mitigate these barriers-
•   Being involved increases the experience and exposure to health policy making .
•   Being skilled and knowledgeable – in health policy development . Nurses should possess a university education in order to have a good knowledge in health topics .
•   Being supported- being supported by authorities, supportive mentorship, and should have a supportive and sharing network of issues related to health policy making.
•   Nursing positive image- positive image of nursing plays a important role in nurses advocacy. Nurses should appointed in policy making positions.
•   Enabling structures- legislatures that include nurses in policy making .
Structures that posses gender equality for nurses , assures the involvement of nurses in policy making and development.
•   Resources availability- having resources and utilise them for policy making activities.