Posted: October 11th, 2023

Chapter 13: Identify one current healthcare policy issue of interest to public

Answer the question below. Effective initial postings to the discussion should be at least 200 words in length, rarely more than 400 words. Your opinion will come from your reading so you will need to cite and submit one reference in correct APA format to your initial posting and one reference (different from your initial response) to your response to another classmate’s posting. You may use your textbook as one of your references and include at least one peer-reviewed journal article (not older than 5 years). Do not use a website, newsletter, blogs, etc. Please put your name in the subject area when you create your thread.

Chapter 13: Identify one current healthcare policy issue of interest to public health nursing in terms of the policy problem, the solution, interested parties, and their relative power and influence.
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Fall Prevention
The growing burden of fall-related injuries among the elderly population is at the center of the policy issue with regard to fall prevention. Falls are the main reason for fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults in the US (LeLaurin & Shorr, 2019). These injuries may have severe physical, psychological, and financial repercussions for victims and their families. This issue is worsened by the growing older population, which is expected to grow significantly over the next few decades. Therefore, the policy issue is the need to create effective methods for preventing falls in older adults while minimizing the adverse effects on their health and economic consequences.
The adoption of evidence-based fall prevention programs and policies represents a promising solution to the problem of fall prevention policy. These programs frequently include numerous interventions, including home modifications, community outreach programs, medication management, exercise and balance training and medication management (Heng et al., 2020). Delivering these interventions and promoting widespread adoption are crucial for public health nursing.
The primary force behind fall prevention efforts is public health nurses. In order to provide complete care for senior citizens, they assess each person’s risk of falling, offer education and interventions, and work in partnership with other healthcare professionals (LeLaurin & Shorr, 2019). Also, doctors, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals are diagnosing and treating the underlying medical conditions that cause falls and referring patients to the proper interventions. Since they provide funding, research, and guidelines for programs to prevent falls based on the best available evidence, federal and state governments, like the CDC and the National Institute on Aging, are also interested in fall prevention policy.
Because of their knowledge and involvement in patient care up close, public health nurses significantly impact the development of fall prevention policies. They can lobby for more money to be allocated to programs that prevent falls, research, and initiatives promoting education. Due to their ability to educate patients on fall prevention services, healthcare providers have a moderate influence (Heng et al., 2020). They can collaborate to develop a thorough fall prevention strategy with public health nurses.

References
Heng, H., Jazayeri, D., Shaw, L., Kiegaldie, D., Hill, A.-M., & Morris, M. E. (2020). Hospital falls prevention with patient education: A scoping review. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01515-w
LeLaurin, J. H., & Shorr, R. I. (2019). Preventing falls in hospitalized patients. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 35(2), 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2019.01.007