The process of developing and implementing health and nursing policy: Implications of research and opportunities to influence

Aim

To provide insight into the process of developing health and nursing policy and how that process can be influenced by both researchers and nursing leaders.

Background

Nurses care for people across the life course from birth to death, in our communities, hospitals, care homes and schools. They have unique insight into how people live their lives and how this affects their health. Despite being well placed to influence health policy, nurses often fail to capitalise on this. At the same time, academics often struggle to identify the policy implications of their research resulting in further missed opportunities to use policy influence.

Sources of evidence

Classical policy theory, which is predominantly drawn from economics and public administration together with a range of contemporary nursing and health policy studies, is used in this paper to discuss the policy process and opportunities to influence.

Discussion

Researchers need to focus on realistic policy suggestions that aim to raise awareness, highlight policy problems or set the agenda. In turn, nursing leaders, from National Nursing Associations, need to harness evidence to support their efforts to influence policy. In terms of influence, a range of approaches exist, and each lends itself to different parts of the policy cycle.

Conclusion

The role nurses can play in health policy is not well developed in many countries. Nursing researchers and leaders are well placed to influence policy but must do so in a clear and pragmatic way recognising that policymakers make decisions despite being faced with conflicting evidence, competing demands and economic imperatives.

Implications for nursing practice

Recognising that nurses can offer much in terms of policy development, the paper argues that a pragmatic approach based on different forms of influence at different stages is likely to be most successful.

Implications for nursing and health policy

The evidence reviewed in this paper suggests that nursing academics and leaders need to identify realistic policy interventions when examining their own empirical work or identifying ways to individually or collectively influence policymakers.