TD#1 week 8 - Assignment Example

Health Policy Issue One of the primary international policy issues is the role of the government in controlling the Patient-physician relationship. Regulations and proposed laws across nations have infringed on the patient-physician relationship and the medical practice in general through crossing the customary boundaries and interfering with the medical professionalism (Ginsburg et al., 2013). Numerous states and countries have suggested or implemented laws that interfere with the nursing professionalism by barring nurses and physicians from asking patients about risk factors that may affect their wellbeing and discussing individualized care with patients and restricting the information that physicians and nurses can reveal to patients.

Notably, these laws pose a threat to the nursing and medical profession as they generate undue problems that have the effect of restricting access to the required care and time nurses spend with patients. As a result, nurses have the responsibility of influencing change (Mason et al., 2011) and safeguarding the nursing profession from intrusion by the government and other authorities. In this case, it is imperative for the nurses to sensitize all the stakeholders in health care, including the authorities, on their responsibility and support towards the privacy and the significance of the patient-physician relationship in health care.

This sensitization would involve lobbying to the local congressperson and health care commissioner. Through this lobbying, a nurse can also focus on showing the role of risk factors and disclosure of information to patients in patient care and identification of health care interventions (Mason et al., 2011). Additionally, as a nurse, it would be effective to use the internet as a medium to sensitize the distinct stakeholders within the health care on their role and how these regulations impact on the delivery of care.

ReferencesGinsburg, J., Snyder, L., & Centor, R. (2013). Statement of principles on the role of the government in regulating Patient-Physician relationship. American College of Physicians, 1, 1-16. Retrieved from https://www.acponline.org/advocacy/current_policy_papers/assets/statement_of_principles.pdfMason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2011). Policy & politics in nursing and healthcare (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.