Write a letter to the editor of a scholarly journal. The length and format of the letter is dictated by your choice of journal.- topic Addiction
in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
Advocating for new policies is an important aspect of the master’s-prepared nurse. For new policies to be compelling they need to be supported by evidence. Supporting data can be used to illustrate why new policies and interventions are needed to help address a specific health issue. Compelling data can help sway the stakeholders and gain support for your policy.
Another aspect of advocacy is disseminating new policies and interventions outside of the immediate care environment. This can be done by reaching out to professional organizations as well as academic and professional journals. the editor is one strategy for disseminating information to a wider audience and to potentially enlist support throughout the wider professional community.
Nurses have the opportunity to use their skills and develop programs to keep individuals and communities healthy. Health is complex, however, and the nurse needs to possess strong advocacy skills to successfully support a cause or interest.
Reference
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics-For-Nurses.html
Throughout this course, you have focused on a specific health issue occurring within a specific population.
to the editor of a scholarly journal. Your goal is to be informative about the policy that you developed for your previous Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal assessment, while also being persuasive about the need for and benefit of similar policies in other health care settings. The bullet points below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that your assessment submission addresses all of them.
- Evaluate the current state of the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population.
- Look back to the data or scenario you used in your previous assessment to address this criterion.
- Analyze how the current state of the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population necessitates health policy development and advocacy.
- Justify why the developed policy will be vital in improving the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population.
- Advocate for policy development in other care settings with regard to a specific issue in a target population.
- Analyze the ways in which interprofessional aspects of the policy will support efficient and effective achievement of desired outcomes for the target population.
- Communicate in a professional and persuasive manner, writing content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Running head: LETTER TO THE EDITOR 1
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
Learner’s Name
Capella University
Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice II
Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
November, 2018
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 2
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
Current State of Quality of Care for Veterans Affected by Opioid Addiction
Veterans have been affected by the opioid crisis disproportionately. The rates of opioid
abuse and misuse among veterans are higher than among civilians. Veterans commonly present
with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse disorder. The presence of these
behavioral issues in combination with chronic pain is likely to lead to misuse. Individuals may
attempt to soothe emotional or psychological pain with opioids, incorrectly associating the
physical relief or euphoria that opioids provide with psychological relief (Sullivan & Howe,
2013).
The Necessity of Health Policy Development for Opioid Addiction
Currently, there are policies that deal with maximum dosages and verifying dosage refills
through state prescription drug monitoring programs. However, the policy currently being
proposed will address the lack of awareness about opioids and opioid addiction. Childers and
Arnold even found that many clinicians do not believe they possess the knowledge or the skills
required to treat patients with addiction (as cited in Snow & Wynn, 2018).
Improving the Quality of Care in Treating Patients with Opioid Addiction
By adopting policy that requires making active efforts toward raising awareness about the
risks associated with opioids, health care organizations would empower individuals with
knowledge that could potentially help them and those close to them. Misconceptions about
opioid use will be clarified if the public is well-informed. Forming a committee composed of
pain management specialists, psychiatrists, and senior nurses to oversee the organization of such
programs would ensure that the programs are organized effectively and regularly. At these
programs, trained physicians would talk about the risks associated with opioid use and misuse
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 3
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
and nurses would describe the symptoms of an overdose and demonstrate correct procedure in
such situations.
Further, it is important to monitor patients who have been prescribed long-term opioid
treatment to ensure that they are not abusing their medication or allowing for it to be diverted or
misused. To address this, the policy mandates that individuals who have been prescribed long-
term opioids regularly meet with a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist would be required to update the
attending physician if any potential concerns arose.
How the Policy will Support Achievement of Desired Outcomes
The proposed policy would require significant expenditure to effectively implement
programs to raise awareness and educate individuals. Further, it could also be argued that the
expenses incurred on the patients’ side would be significant. These arguments raise important
concerns on the practical application of the policy being suggested; however, these costs could
potentially benefit the patients’ overall well-being as well as result in significant positive social
change. Studies by Rydell and Everingham and the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicate
that every dollar spent toward the prevention of drug abuse and treatment would result in
significant savings at the national level (as cited in Crowley, Kirshner, Dunn, & Bornstein,
2017).
Policy Development Advocacy
This policy would provide individuals with knowledge that can be applied outside of the
hospital setting. At home or among friends, these individuals could save lives because they
recognize potentially harmful patterns of behavior and are aware of how to proceed in such
contexts. Further, such policy would build trust and garner more positive change in time.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 4
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
References
Crowley, R., Kirschner, N., Dunn, A. S., & Bornstein, S. S. (2017). Health and public policy to
facilitate effective prevention and treatment of substance use disorders involving illicit
and prescription drugs: An American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of
Internal Medicine, 166(10), 733–736. http://dx.doi.org/10.7326/M16-2953
Snow, R., & Wynn, S. T. (2018). Managing opioid use disorder and co-occurring posttraumatic
stress disorder among veterans. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health
Services, 56(6), 36–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20180212-03
Sullivan, M. D., & Howe, C. Q. (2013). Opioid therapy for chronic pain in the US: Promises and
perils. Pain, 154(Suppl 1), S94–100. Retrieved from
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204477/
LETTER TO THE EDITOR 5
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
Appendix
Journal Guidelines
Journal Name: Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
Submission Guidelines for Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor are correspondence
regarding articles previously published in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental
Health Services or other topics relevant to practicing psychiatric-mental health nurses. If the
letter is regarding a previously published article, it must be submitted within 12 months of the
article’s publication to be considered for possible publication, and the author of that article will
be given the opportunity to respond. Letters should be no longer than 500 words. References are
not necessary, but if included, should be kept to a maximum of three. All letters must contain a
clear message or point for readers. Letters may be edited for clarity or length, and letter authors
must disclose any competing or conflicting interests, if applicable. All letters are published at the
Editor’s discretion. Letters should be submitted by email to the editorial office.
,
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
· Competency 1: Design evidence-based advanced nursing care for achieving high-quality population outcomes.
· Evaluate the current state of the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population.
· Justify why a developed policy will be vital in improving the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population.
· Competency 2: Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of interprofessional interventions in achieving desired population health outcomes.
· Analyze the ways in which interprofessional aspects of a developed policy will support efficient and effective achievement of desired outcomes for the target population.
· Competency 3: Analyze population health outcomes in terms of their implications for health policy advocacy.
· Analyze how the current state of the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a target population necessitates health policy development and advocacy.
· Advocate for policy development in other care settings with regard to a specific issue in a target population.
· Competency 4: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
· Communicate in a professional and persuasive manner, writing content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
· Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references.
