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Introduction
Nurses have been the key advocates for addressing patients’ needs and rights. These healthcare practitioners are aware of patients’ needs and understand the peculiarities of the system with its challenges and opportunities for meeting these needs, which makes nurses perfect advocates (Milstead & Short, 2017). One of the areas nurses can make a difference is the use of opioids. It has been estimated that one in four postoperative patients use opioids, but this alarming rate is often characterized by the overuse of drugs (Hilliard et al., 2018). In many cases, the reasons for prescription are not properly justified, and pain management could be realized with the help of other measures, including patient education.
Healthcare practitioners can and should inform patients about the adverse effects of opioid use and appropriate ways to manage pain. At the same time, medical staff may lack the necessary skills to provide the necessary information within the limited time they have to provide care to a particular patient. This paper includes a brief analysis of a bill that was introduced in 2021 and aimed at providing funds to states where the corresponding incentives are being implemented (see Table 1).
Table 1:Opioid Patients’ Right to Know Act Of 2021
Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement
The bill under consideration should be enacted as it can have a positive influence on the situation related to opioid use. Healthcare professionals tend to choose opioids as they have proved to be effective in managing acute pain, and such prescriptions have become a common practice (Hilliard et al., 2018). Hilliard et al. (2018) report that diverse factors are associated with opioid drug use, including but not confined to age, depression, tobacco use, pain severity, low life satisfaction, and comorbidities. These factors should be identified, and the corresponding alternative has to be offered to the patients who are often unaware of the detrimental effects of opioids and available alternatives. Those who prescribe medication need evidence-based data to inform patients and persuade them to employ non-opioid treatment methods of pain management.
However, the medical staff seems to be ill-prepared to provide this kind of care due to the lack of knowledge and skills necessary for catering to patients’ needs within the context of time and resource scarcity. Physicians and nurses have only several minutes per day to communicate with the patient, and during this time, patients receive information regarding their health status, progress, treatment, as well as many other aspects. It is important to provide training to healthcare professionals so that they could improve the quality of care and ensure positive patient outcomes (Yajnik et al., 2019). Nurses can play a central role in this process as these practitioners are in the closest contact with patients and their caregivers.
Moreover, nurses should take an active part in the implementation of the corresponding legislation. By initiating and participating in diverse discourses, nurses should advocate for addressing patients’ needs and the improvement of quality of the provided care, which leads to positive shifts and progress (Taylor et al., 2017). Nurses can discuss the legislation and address administrators, policymakers, nursing organizations to draw stakeholders’ attention to the bill and similar incentives.
Addressing Opponents’ Arguments
The opponents of the bill are likely to oppose the allocation of funds to educate medical staff, arguing that the money could be used in a more effective way. Those who do not support the bill can state that physicians can be simply mandated to prescribe non-opioid medication or develop treatment plans using non-opioid alternatives to manage pain. However, this approach is associated with various challenges, including economic, medical, and ethical. First, some note that opioids should be simply banned with only a limited number of exceptions that are clearly identified. Nevertheless, one of the major ethical values medical personnel follows is beneficence, so they cannot let patients suffer if there is an effective way to address the problem. No alternative to opioids exists in many instances, so the ban can deprive patients of the only opportunity to soothe pain and maintain an appropriate quality of life (Hilliard et al., 2018). Hence, pain management requires the use of strong opioid drugs.
The opponents of the bill may state that if the ban is impossible, it is necessary to develop clear guidelines regarding the exact use of medication in different cases. However, due to the uniqueness of every patient’s condition, these guidelines cannot be strict enough, so healthcare professionals will still decide in each case based on a range of factors (Yajnik et al., 2019). Moreover, patients report their perceived pain, which makes a choice even harder. As mentioned above, healthcare practitioners are short of time and need to make decisions quickly and have only several minutes to communicate with patients (Hilliard et al., 2018). The medical staff needs the training to address this issue effectively as they need evidence to make choices and skills to persuade patients using the most effective and ethical techniques.
Finally, training is an effective type of quality management as it leads to the improvement of the provided services and the entire healthcare system. Yajnik et al. (2019) state that medical personnel education regarding opioids and alternatives leads to the reduction in this medication use, which is a positive effect. The reduction of opioid addiction is one of the health goals of the U. S. government, so the type of investment offered by the bill sponsor is cost-effective and potentially beneficial in terms of public health. Instead of addressing issues associated with addiction, patients may receive care void of the utilization of such drugs. However, the continuous learning of medical staff is the necessary background for the attainment of this objective. Healthcare professionals will have the necessary skills and knowledge and will be motivated to use them when choosing the most appropriate treatment for each patient.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the bill under the title “Opioid Patients’ Right to Know Act of 2021” should be enacted as it can contribute to the further development of the American healthcare system. The bill ensures the provision of funds that are needed for the development of medical staff, making healthcare professionals prepared to improve pain management. Practitioners need the training to choose the most effective alternative to opioid drug use and persuade patients to adhere to the developed treatment plan. Although the bill is associated with the investment of a substantial amount of funds, it may face certain opposition. Nevertheless, benefits are evident, which raises the chance of the legislation to be enacted. At that, nurses should participate in this process actively by articulating patients’ needs and advocating for them. Nurse professionals have to initiate a wide-ranging discussion of the bill and its potential impact. This discussion should involve such stakeholders as patients, nurses, other medical personnel, hospital administration, nursing associations, and organizations, as well as local, state, and federal policymakers. The involvement of these groups will lead to the development of effective programs that will be supported by federal funds.
References
Hilliard, P. E., Waljee, J., Moser, S., Metz, L., Mathis, M., Goesling, J., Cron, D., Clauw, D. J., Englesbe, M., Abecasis, G., & Brummett, C. M. (2018). Prevalence of preoperative opioid use and characteristics associated with opioid use among patients presenting for surgery.JAMA Surgery, 153(10), 929-937. Web.
H.R.1185 – Opioid Patients’ Right to Know Act of 2021. Congress.gov. Web.
Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2017). Informing public policy: An important role for registered nurses. In J. A. Milstead & N. M. Short (Eds.), Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (pp. 1-16). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Taylor, D., Olshansky, E. F., Woods, N. F., Johnson-Mallard, V., Safriet, B. J., & Hagan, T. (2017). Corrigendum to position statement: Political interference in sexual and reproductive health research and health professional education [Nursing Outlook 65/2 (2017) 242–245]. Nursing Outlook, 65(3), 346-350. Web.
Yajnik, M., Hill, J. N., Hunter, O. O., Howard, S. K., Kim, T. E., Harrison, T. K., & Mariano, E. R. (2019). Patient education and engagement in postoperative pain management decreases opioid use following knee replacement surgery. Patient Education and Counseling, 102(2), 383-387. Web.
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