NURS 8100 – Week 10 Discussion

Week 10: Nursing and Health Policy: The International Perspective 

To be a professional nurse today means having a world view. With the internationalization of health care issues, it is important to broaden your perspective and explore international health policy and nursing practice. 

This week, you will focus on global health care policy. You will examine the nursing profession through an international lens, as well as investigate global efforts to promote health policies and improve health care delivery around the world. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

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Compare and contrast U.S. nursing or health-related policies with those of another country 

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Evaluate the role of international nursing or health organizations in developing or supporting nursing policy 

Learning Resources 

Required Readings 

Bodenheimer, T., & Grumbach, K. (2020). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill. 

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Chapter 14, “Health Care in Four Nations” 

This chapter compares the health care systems in Germany, Canada, United 

Kingdom, and Japan. All these nations offer universal health care; however, they organize and finance health care in varying ways. 

Asadov, D.A., & Aripov, T. Y. (2009). The quality of care in post-soviet Uzbekistan: Are health reforms and international efforts succeeding? Public Health, 123(11), 725-728. 

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The authors discuss why health care initiatives in developing countries, such as Uzbekistan, are not succeeding, even with international involvement. They suggest involving regional input and consideration for better success. 

Baillie, L., & Gallagher, A. (2009). Evaluation of the Royal College of Nursing’s ‘Dignity: at the heart of everything we do’ campaign: Exploring challenges and enablers. Journal of 

Research in Nursing, 15(1), 15-28. 

This article provides details from a study concerning the Royal College of Nursing’s campaign to promote dignity in care. The authors focus on two aspects of the study-“enablers” and “challenges” of providing dignity in care to patients. 

Clarke, S. P., & Aiken, L. H. (2008). An international hospital outcomes research agenda focused on nursing: Lessons from a decade of collaboration. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(24), 3317-3323. 

The authors depict findings from an international nursing survey, which concludes that nurses work experiences (positive and negative) are remarkably consistent across countries, regardless of cultural differences. The authors propose that a global effort to improve the nurses work environments will lead to improved patient care. 

Crigger, N. (2008). Towards a viable and just global nursing ethics. Nursing Ethics, 15(1), 

17-27. 

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This article discusses global justice and the nursing profession, and proposes five characteristics to guide global ethics. The author proposes that technology and business can act as barriers to global justice. 

Eckenwiler, L. A. (2009). The WHO code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel: We have only just begun. Developing World Bioethics, 9(1). 

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has drafted a Code of Practice to encourage global health care policies. The author focuses on the detrimental impact of health care professionals migrating from source countries (usually the global South) to destination countries. The author suggests that WHO could be more specific in the code relating to stakeholders and shared responsibilities to promote collaboration by all parties involved in global health 

care. 

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Koch, K., Schurmann, C., & Sawicki, P. (2010). The German health care system in international comparison: A patient perspective. Deutsches Arzteblatt International 107(24), 427-434. 

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This article provides information gleaned from a Commonwealth Fund survey on international health care experiences. The authors report a variation in patient experiences and satisfaction internationally but German respondents reported less satisfaction than most countries. German patients tend to be seen by more than one doctor, and perhaps the reported dissatisfaction can be traced to a lack of coordination in care. 

Lartey, S., Cummings, G., & Profetto-McGrath, J. (2014). Interventions that promote 

retention of experienced registered nurses in health care settings: A systematic review. Journal of Nursing Management, 22(8), 1027-1041. doi:10.1111/jonm.12105 

The authors of this study examine the effectiveness of strategies for retaining experienced Registered Nurses. Noting the challenges of nursing shortages on a global scale, the authors explore those factors that could promote the retention of experienced nurses and suggest new opportunities for fulfilling a sustained nursing workforce. 

Tyer-Viola, L., Nicholas, P., Corless, I., Barry, D., Hoyt, P., Fitzpatrick, J., & Davis, S. (2009). Social responsibility of nursing: a global perspective. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 10(2), 110-118. doi: 10.1177/1527154409339528 

This article depicts a study that examines nursing, social responsibility, and global health. The authors focus on concepts such as social justice, human rights, nurse migration, and nurse education as well as strategies to 

address these issues. 

World Health Organization (WHO). (2010). Managing health workforce migration–The global Code of Practice. Retrieved from 

http://www.who.int/hrh/migration/code/practice/en/index.html 

In 2010, WHO created the “Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health 

Personnel,” which urges a global policy on the recruitment of health care workers that 

would result in better global health care outcomes. 

International Council of Nurses. (2010). International Council of Nurses. Retrieved 

from http://www.icn.ch/ 

This website provides information from the ICN, an international federation of nurses associations. The ICN is a global organization, operated by nurses that advocates the profession of nursing and promotes global health care policy. 

Royal College of Nursing. (2011). The Royal College of Nursing. Retrieved 

from http://www.rcn.org.uk/ 

The RCN represents the interests of nurses in the United Kingdom and promotes health 

care policy. 

Optional Resources 

Evans, C., & Ndirangu, E. (2008). The nursing implications of routine provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling in sub-Saharan Africa: A critical review of new policy guidance from WHO/UNAIDS. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46(5), 723-731. 

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France, C. (2008). The form and context of federalism: Meaning for health care financing. Journal of Health Politics, Policy & Law, 33(4), 649-705.doi: 

10.1215/03616878-2008-012 

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International Nursing Review. (2009). ICN initiative to fortify health workforce will open 

new Centre in Uganda. International Nursing Review, 56(2), 151-152. 

Pulcini, J., Jelic, M., Gul, R., & Loke, A. Y. (2010). An international survey on advanced practice nursing education, practice, and regulation. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(1), 31-39. 

Discussion: Nursing and Health Policy in Other Nations 

Think for a moment about nurses who relocate because of professional opportunities. How could such a seemingly personal decision have a detrimental impact on global health care? As presented in this week’s Learning Resources, nurse migration is of global concern. In response to this issue, international health care organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) have positioned themselves to craft related policy as a solution. This is just one example of a global nursing policy effort. 

To prepare: 

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With information from the Learning Resources in mind, select a U.S. nursing- or health-related policy. Search the web and locate a similar policy in another country. 

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Consider how the two policies are similar and dissimilar. 

Was an international organization involved in promoting the policies? If not, should they have been? 

By Day 3 

Post a cohesive response that addresses the following: 

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Post information on the nursing or health-related policies you located including a reference to the source. 

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Indicate the country you are comparing to the U.S. 

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Compare and contrast the two policies. What insights did you gain as a result of this comparison? 

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What is the role of international organizations in developing policy? Provide a specific example. 

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. 

By Day 6 

Respond to at least two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways: 

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Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research. 

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Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new 

perspectives. 

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Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the 

Walden Library. 

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Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. 

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Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. 

Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. 

Note: Please see the Syllabus and Discussion Rubric for formal Discussion question posting and response evaluation criteria. 

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments made by your colleagues. 

Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources. 

Submission and Grading Information