Healthy people 2020/ Determinant of health, policy making - Assignment Example

Policy Making: The Role of Nurses Governments and other itative officials form policies and implement them in order to control the environmentand risk determinants within an organization, region, society or culture. The healthcare policies and programs, however, are aimed at reducing the health risking factors and elements that increase the likelihood of disease, poor health, mortality and morbidity rates. Nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals take an active role in such interventions and policies.

The role of healthcare professionals is not limited to implementing the policies but comprise of formulating those policies. Policy making is a complex yet important part of healthcare systems. The policies, like age restrictions on the buying abilities of individuals are mostly aimed to control and eliminate the risks of underage drinking, smoking, driving and drug abuse. There are certain policies which seem not to be directly related to the promotion of health and healthy behaviors but are eventually in the favor of a healthy society and healthier individuals.

Highway Safety Act, Speed limits (Valle 1986) and so on are some examples of such policies which indirectly reduce health risking behaviors and are an important move towards a healthy society by a reduction in accidents. Nursing is a profession which aids the suffering humanity by active involvement with people who are suffering and caring them. This active involvement with the patients helps in gaining firsthand knowledge of what caused their injury, illness or disease. Nurses are closer to the lives of the patients and may help in developing the major areas of concern for the policymakers (Lin & Liang 2007).

They make take on the role of advisors to help the policymakers by identifying major risk factors, fear of people and providing a feedback on certain policies by interacting with the patients. They can act as active evaluators of the situations which are practically prevalent and may use their experience as a key to the policymaking process. References Valle, Stephen K. Drunk Driving in America: Strategies and Approaches to Treatment. New York: Haworth Press, 1986. Print. Lin, Laura, and Bryan A. Liang. "Addressing the Nursing Work Environment to Promote Patient Safety.

" Nursing Forum. 42.1 (2007): 20-30. Print. Healthy, People. "Determinants of Health." Healthy People 2020. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 22 jun 2011. Web. 8 Jul 2011. .