- Bastable (2021) describes a number of social and political issues that are impacting nursing and health care today. Elaborate on these issues offering examples from your practice and the readings. Choose several of the most important issues and describe how these issues also impact nursing education. What can be done to lessen the impact? Support your statements with examples and references from the readings and outside literature.
600 word minimum
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Introduction: Nursing and healthcare today are facing a number of social and political issues that are impacting the sector’s operational efficiency and the quality of care provided to the patients. The current scenario is making it challenging for nursing professionals to deliver safe and quality care to their patients by compromising the standards of nursing education. This paper will examine some of the key social and political issues afflicting nursing and healthcare, how they impact nursing education and approaches to lessen their impact.
One of the significant social and political issues that are affecting nursing and healthcare is the rapid advances in technology. Although technology promises to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes, poorly designed and unregulated technology can threaten patient safety. For example, medical errors due to malfunctioning healthcare technology can lead to misdiagnoses, delayed treatment, and patient harm. The impact of technology on nursing education is that faculty must incorporate relevant technology into the curriculum to enhance students’ competencies in using new technologies. However, nursing schools must ensure that the curriculum incorporates technology to promote safe care delivery.
Another social issue impacting nursing and healthcare is the demographic shift in the population, where the aging population is increasing, leading to more individuals needing healthcare services. The geriatric population has unique healthcare needs that require specialized nursing education, and nursing schools must implement geriatric nursing education programs to prepare students to care for this population. Nursing schools must offer a curriculum that encompasses gerontology and geriatric nursing, training nurses to provide safe and quality care to the elderly.
The political issue affecting nursing and healthcare is the Affordable Care Act, popularly referred to as Obamacare. Although the ACA positively impacted access to healthcare for the underprivileged, nurses are facing challenges associated with increased demand for healthcare services. Additionally, nursing education programs also face challenges in meeting the demand for quality healthcare. The ACA has led to the healthcare industry emphasizing preventative care; nursing students must receive training that includes health promotion, primary care, and patient education.
Finally, another social issue affecting nursing and healthcare is the cultural, ethnic, and racial disparities in healthcare. Evidence indicates that minority groups receive poorer healthcare services than the non-minority population, leading to healthcare disparities. Nursing education programs need to include cultural competencies in their curricula and prepare future nurses to provide customizable and culturally sensitive care. The faculty must also promote diversity and inclusivity in nursing education to prepare students to deliver equitable care that meets the diverse needs of the patient population.
In conclusion, nursing and healthcare face various social and political issues that impact safe and quality care delivery. As this discussion shows, nursing education can play an essential role in mitigating some of these problems through proper training and education that includes technology, geriatric nursing, primary care, patient education, and cultural competencies. Nursing education needs to continually adapt and change to meet the healthcare system’s evolving needs, requirements, and political changes that affect the nursing profession. Learning institutions that train nurses must collaborate with healthcare institutions to design a curriculum that aligns with the demands and requirements of the healthcare system, ultimately preparing future nurses to deliver safe and quality care.
References:
Bastable, S. B. (2021). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.