Assessment 3 Instructions:
Letter to the Editor: Population
Health Policy Advocacy
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PRINT
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Write a letter to the editor of an
academic or professional journal. The
length and format of the letter is
dictated by your choice of journal.
Introduction
Note: Each assessment 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’sprepared 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. A
letter to the editor is one strategy for
disseminating information to a wider
audience, and to potentially enlist
support throughout the wider
professional community.
Preparations
As you prepare to complete this
assessment, you may want to think
about other related issues to deepen
your understanding or broaden your
viewpoint. You are encouraged to
consider the questions below and
discuss them with a fellow learner, a
work associate, an interested friend,
or a member of your professional
community. Note that these questions
are for your own development and
exploration and do not need to be
completed or submitted as part of
your assessment. You may use
the Locating Letter Submission
Guidelines for Journals library guide
for additional assistance.
• Looking at your health care
issue from a prevention
standpoint, what are the
relevant levels of prevention?
• What would be the
benefits and challenges
of applying a specific
level of prevention to
your chosen issue and
population?
• How might one or more
approaches to
prevention improve the
care and outcomes?
▪ How could your
policy be
leveraged, or
revised, to support
the relevant levels
of prevention?
• What are relevant strategies
that you could use to help
advocate for the policy you are
proposing?
• How could these
strategies help you
advocate for your policy
proposal?
• How does evidence from
the literature support the
benefits of your
proposed policy?
▪ How does citing
evidence help lend
credibility to your
advocacy?
• What academic or professional
journal would be the best forum
to advocate for your policy?
• Why is your chosen
journal an appropriate
forum?
• Which advocacy
strategies would be most
effective in this forum?
• How will you craft your
message to best appeal to
the likely audience of
your chosen journal?
Assessment 3 will build upon the
work you have done for your previous
two assessments. For this assessment,
you will be writing a letter to the
editor of an academic or professional
journal as a means to advocate for
adoption or development of policies
that will improve the quality of care
and outcomes around your chosen
health care issue and vulnerable
population. Refer to the resource
listed below.
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Guiding Questions: Letter to the
Editor: Population Health Policy
Advocacy [DOC].
https://capellauniversity.libguides.co
m/letter_guidelines
Scenario
Throughout this course, you have
focused on a specific health issue
occurring within a specific population.
You researched position papers
regarding this health concern, and you
developed a health policy proposal to
positively impact the health of the
affected individuals. It is now time to
reach a greater audience regarding
your policy proposal.
Instructions
Develop a letter to the editor of a
peer-reviewed academic or
professional nursing journal based on
the policy proposal that you created
for Assessment 2. Choose from one of
the journals on the Ultimate List of
Nursing Journals
https://www.nursingschool.org/ultim
ate-list-of-nursing-journals/
and go to that journal’s Web site to
find out the requirements for
submitting a letter to the editor, such
as format requirements, topics, and
word counts. Make sure you select a
nursing journal that covers the topic
about which you are going to write. If
you want to use another journal that is
not on this list, please make sure the
journal does address health care,
because this is the purpose of the
assessment.
The goal of your letter is to be
informative about the policy that you
developed for Assessment 2, 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 submission
addresses all of them. You may also
want to read the Letter to the Editor:
Population Health Policy Advocacy
Scoring Guide and Guiding Questions:
Letter to the Editor: Population Health
Policy Advocacy [DOC]
https://capellauniversity.libguides.co
m/letter_guidelines
document to better understand how
each grading criterion will be
assessed.
• 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
Assessment 1 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 a 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 a
developed 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.
• Integrate relevant sources to
support assertions, correctly
formatting citations and
references using current APA
style (or the journal’s preferred
style).
Example Assessment: You may use
the assessment example, linked in the
Assessment Example section of the
Resources, to give you an idea of what
a Proficient or higher rating on the
scoring guide would look like.
Additional
Requirements
The submission requirements for your
editorial will depend on the journal
you choose. To find out the
requirements, go to the journal’s Web
site. There should be a section
regarding submissions that will
address how to format letters to the
editor, and whether there is a word
count limit (there usually is a limit).
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If the journal does not have
submission guidelines for the
number of resources required,
use 3-5 sources.
To be sure that your instructor
knows the submission and
formatting requirements for
your letter, include the journal’s
guidelines on a separate page at
the end of the document you
submit for this assessment.
Competencies
Measured
By successfully completing this
assessment, you will demonstrate
your proficiency in the following
course competencies and assessment
criteria:
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Competency 1: Design
evidence-based advanced
nursing care for achieving highquality 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.
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•
•
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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 using APA
style.
Resources: Advocacy
https://courserooma.capella.edu/web
apps/blackboard/content/listContent.
jsp?course_id=_358031_1&content_id
=_10919370_1
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Calloway, E. E., Fricke, H. E.,
Carpenter, L. R., & Yaroch, A. L.
(2021). A qualitative
exploration of indicators of
health equity embeddedness
among public health policy
advocacy campaigns. Health
Promotion Practice,
15248399209819501524839920981950.
Chiu, P. (2021). Advancing
nursing policy advocacy
knowledge. Advances in Nursing
Science, 44(1), 3-15.
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Griffith, D. M., Semlow, A. R.,
Leventhal, M., & Sullivan, C.
(2019). The Tennessee men’s
health report card: A model for
men’s health policy advocacy
and education. American
Journal of Men’s Health, 13(5).
Jansson, B. S., Nyamathi, A.,
Heidemann, G., Bird, M., Rogers
Ward, C., Brown-Saltzman, K.,
Duan, L. & Kaplan, C.
(2016). Predicting levels of
policy advocacy engagement
among acute-care health
professionals. Policy, Politics, &
Nursing Practice, 17(1), 43-55.
Pollack, H. A. (2019). The
responsibility to advocate—and
to advocate responsibly. The
Milbank Quarterly, 97(1), 44-47.
Resources: Biopsychosocial
(Population and Public Health)
https://courserooma.capella.edu/web
apps/blackboard/content/listContent.
jsp?course_id=_358031_1&content_id
=_10919371_1
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Brennan-Ing, M., RamirezValles, J., & Tax, A. (2021). Aging
with HIV: Health policy and
advocacy priorities. Health
Education & Behavior, 48(1), 58.
Richmond, S. A., D’Cruz, J.,
Lokku, A., MacPherson, A.,
Howard, A., & MacArthur, C.
(2016). Trends in unintentional
injury mortality in Canadian
children 1950-2009 and
association with selected
population-level
interventions. Canadian Journal
of Public Health, 107(4/5),
e431-e437.
Resources: Letters to the Editor
https://courserooma.capella.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.js
p?course_i.
d=_358031_1&content_id=_10919372_1
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PRINT
The resources provided here
are optional. You may use other
resources of your choice to prepare
for this assessment however, you will
need to ensure that they are
appropriate, credible, and valid.
The MSN Program Library Research
Guide can help direct your research.
• NursingSchool.org.
(2021). Ultimate list of nursing
journals. https://www.nursings
chool.org/ultimate-list-ofnursing-journals/
• Response to waszak article
about education provided by
nurses to ED patients who are
prescribed opioid analgesics.
(2018). Journal of Emergency
Nursing, 44(6), 551-55.
• Siau, K., & El-Omar, E.
(2020). How to write a Letter to
the Editor. United European
Gastroenterology Journal, 8(8),
981-983.
•
Whitfield, M. M. (2020). Letter
to the editor. Journal for Nurse
Practitioners, 16(7), A8.
Resources: Policy
https://courserooma.capella.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.js
p?course_id=_358031_1&content_id=_10919373_1
•
•
PRINT
The resources provided here
are optional. You may use other
resources of your choice to prepare
for this assessment however, you will
need to ensure that they are
appropriate, credible, and valid.
The MSN Program Library Research
Guide can help direct your research.
• Olson, K. (2016). Influence
through policy: Four steps YOU
can take. Reflections on Nursing
Leadership, 42(2), 1-3.
Resources: Prevention
https://courserooma.capella.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.j
sp?course_id=_358031_1&content_id=_10919374_1
•
Brenner, H., & Chen, C.
(2018). The colorectal cancer
epidemic: Challenges and
opportunities for primary,
secondary and tertiary
prevention. British Journal of
Cancer, 119(7), 785-792.
•
•
Institute for Work & Health.
(2015). What researchers mean
by… primary, secondary and
tertiary
prevention. http://www.iwh.on
.ca/wrmb/primary-secondaryand-tertiary-prevention
Thomson, K., Hillier-Brown, F.,
Todd, A., McNamara, C., Huijts,
T., & Bambra, C. (2018). The
effects of public health policies
on health inequalities in highincome countries: An umbrella
review. BMC Public Health,
18(1), 869-890.
MSN-FP6026 Assessment 3 Guiding Questions
Guiding Questions
Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
This document is designed to give you questions to consider and additional guidance to help
you successfully complete the Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
assessment. You may find it useful to use this document as a pre-writing exercise or as a final
check to ensure that you have sufficiently addressed all the grading criteria for this assessment.
This document is a resource to help you complete the assessment. Do not turn in this
document as your assessment submission.
Evaluate the current state of the quality of care and outcomes for a specific issue in a
target population.
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Based on the data that you used to identify your chosen issue in Assessment 1, what is
the current state of the quality of care and outcomes?
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To what degree does the current state of the quality of care and outcomes need to be
improved?
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How does the current performance compare to any relevant benchmarks?
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How does the current performance adversely impact the health of the target population?
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.
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How does the current state of the quality of care and outcomes related to your chosen
issue and target population illustrate the need for improvements?
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Why do you consider policy development and advocacy necessary?
o
How will developing a health policy help to improve the quality of care and outcomes
related to your chosen issue and target population?
o
Why is advocating for health policy development necessary to drive improvements?
Justify why a developed policy will be vital in improving the quality of care and outcomes
for a specific issue in a target population.
•
Why will your proposed policy (from Assessment 2) be vital in improving the quality of
care and outcomes related to your chosen issue and target population?
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How will your proposed policy help drive improvements?
▪
What evidence or best-practices supports this? How does the evidence
provide support?
Advocate for policy development in other care settings with regard to a specific issue in
a target population.
•
Why is it important that policy development focused on your chosen issue and target
population take place in care environments and settings beyond that for which you
proposed the policy?
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MSN-FP6026 Assessment 3 Guiding Questions
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How will wider development of policies help to drive improvements related to your
chosen issue and target population?
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Ideally, what is the end result of wider policy development and implementation?
Analyze the ways in which interprofessional aspects of a developed policy will support
efficient and effective achievement of desired outcomes for the target population.
•
What are the relevant interprofessional aspects of your policy?
o
How will these interprofessional aspects support efficient achievement of your
desired outcomes for your target population?
o
How will these interprofessional aspects support effective achievement of your
desired outcomes for your target population?
Communicate in a professional and persuasive manner, writing content clearly and
logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
•
Is your writing clear and professional?
•
Is your writing free from errors?
•
Is your writing persuasive?
•
Does your submission conform to the format and length requirements of your chosen
journal?
Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and
references.
•
Did you use 3–5 sources (or the number required by your chosen journal) in your
assessment?
o
Are the sources you used no more than five years old?
•
Are your sources cited in APA format (or the journal’s preferred style) throughout your
letter?
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Have you included an attached reference list?
•
Did you follow the formatting guidelines of your chosen journal?
o
Did you attach the submission and formatting guidelines for your chosen journal at
the end of your assessment submission?
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Letter to the Editor: Population Health Policy Advocacy
Learner’s Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX6026: Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice II
Instructor’s Name
November 1, 2021
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
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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
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
3
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 longterm 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 et al., 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.
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
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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. https://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. https://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.
https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204477/
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
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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.
Copyright ©2018 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document are prohibited.
1
Analysis of Position for Vulnerable Populations
Elke Guerrero
Capella University
NURS-FPX6026: Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advance Nursing Practice 2
Professor Janet MacLaren
February 25th,2022
.
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Analysis of Position for Vulnerable Populations
A Position concerning Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Veterans
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common mental issues that
affect numerous people in society (Raskind et al., 2018). The condition can be experienced
among various populations in society regardless of an individual’s age, status, or occupation. The
majority of people who experience the condition usually develop it after witnessing or
encountering a traumatic event that is considered to be life-threatening or contributed to the loss
of life. Individuals with PTSD display different signs and symptoms such as hypervigilance,
mood alterations, distressing memories, and thoughts avoidance.
Though there are different populations in the society who experience PTSD, one of them
involves the military veterans. Military veterans are the people who worked in military and left
the occupation due to different aspects such as illness, retirement, or quitting due to an
unfriendly working environment. The majority of the military veterans experience PTSD due to
the environmental condition where they have worked while they witness or experience traumatic
events such as shootings, bombing, or the death of their colleagues (Raskind et al., 2018). Some
veterans usually experience severe injuries that serve as a reminder of the traumatic conditions
they had experienced.
Currently, the majority of the veterans in the United States experience PTSD since only a
few are provided with medical treatment. Little or no provision of care among the veterans has
contributed to the deterioration of their conditions and engagement in other unhealthy behaviors
such as drug abuse, use of substances such as alcohol, and hopelessness (Johnson et al., 2018).
Due to PTSD, this population experience other related mental health conditions such as anxiety,
stress, and depression that contribute to more deteriorated health conditions. These effects are
3
not only experienced among individual veterans but also their families, whereby some of the
families end up breaking while other family members develop depression due to the continuous
handling of victims.
However, due to the veterans’ role in society, especially during their service as military
officers, interventions need to be developed to improve their health conditions. While serving as
military officials, the veterans saved the country from external attacks to keep the country safe
and secure. Therefore, when their health condition deteriorates due to their service to the nation,
they should be given medical support. The medical services that this population is supposed to be
given should be free not only to appreciate their service but also to enhance their access to care
services. The administration that should ensure that all the veterans with PTSD have been
provided with medication interventions is the Veteran Affairs department of the U.S. Through
such medical services, the health condition of this population can be improved.
The Role of the Interprofessional Team in facilitating Improvements
The majority of the veterans with PTSD experience other mental and physical conditions
due to their prolonged period of not seeking medical treatment. Some of the mental disorders that
this population experiences are brought about by increased use of drugs and substances, while
the physical injuries that these people experience serve as a reminder of the traumatic event they
experienced (Johnson et al., 2018). Therefore, providing the patients with the medications to
treat PTSD may not improve their health condition until other mental disorders and physical
injuries are addressed.
Therefore, for these health issues to be addressed, an interprofessional team is necessary,
involving different healthcare professionals such as the nurses, physicians, and mental health
professionals. In this case, the role of the physicians is to treat the patients on the physical
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injuries experienced during the service of the veterans to the nation. By treating the physical
injuries, the injuries will no more serve as reminders of the traumatic events that the veterans
experienced. This will serve as the first step in managing PTSD. The physicians will also assess
the other health issues experienced by the patient related to PTSD and prescribe medications for
their treatment.
Secondly, the role of the nurses involves taking care of the veterans to heal their
conditions. The nurses will also educate the veterans on how to adhere to the medications
prescribed by the physicians. Lastly, the mental health professionals will treat the patients with
PTSD and other mental health disorders associated with it. The mental health professionals will
meet their roles by applying different treatment strategies such as exposure therapy.
Since the services that the population requires to improve their PTSD condition are
numerous, they should be free. This is because it might be challenging for the majority of the
veterans to afford the cost of their treatment services due to their financial instability. The
increased cost that majority of the veterans have incurred for the treatment of various health
issues they experience has contributed to their financial stability since some of the conditions
they experience are chronic. This implies that veterans should be provided with free medical
services for continuous access to medical services to improve their health conditions.
Evidence and Positions that support the Approach
According to research, there are several U.S. veterans who worked in Vietnam and Iraq
in peacekeeping (Johnson et al., 2018). The majority of these veterans suffered PTSD due to the
hostile environment where they worked, where most of them also suffered physical injuries. Due
to PTSD, the veterans experienced several other mental disorders related to the condition,
including depression, anxiety, and stress. These issues not only pushed them to engage in drugs
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and substance abuse but also brought about conflicts in their marital relationships. However,
most veterans who sought medical treatment improved their health conditions, while those who
failed to access healthcare services experienced deteriorated health conditions. Those who
experienced deteriorated health conditions had failed to seek medical interventions due to their
financial instability.
Among the veterans who experienced improved health conditions, they were served by
multiple healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurses, and psychotherapists. Based on the
two aspects regarding the veterans who sought medical services and those who failed to do so,
there are several implications that can be obtained. One of the implications is that an
interprofessional team is critical in treating veterans (Johnson et al., 2018). This is because
individuals who were served by multiple healthcare professionals experienced improved health
conditions. The second implication is that medical services among the veterans should be
provided for free since not all veterans are financially stable.
According to evidence, most U.S. veterans in Iraq and Vietnam failed to seek medical
services since they could not afford them due to their poor financial conditions (Johnson et al.,
2018). This contributed to the further deterioration of their health conditions. Therefore, the
evidence supports the position that veterans should be provided free medical services to improve
their health conditions and enhance their access to care services.
Evidence and Positions Contrary to the Approach
Though an interprofessional team is critical in delivering free healthcare services to
veterans experiencing PTSD, some literature argues against this approach. For example, the
article by Cushing & Braun (2018) indicates that the best method of addressing PTSD is by
focusing on treating the condition rather than the underlying health issues (Cushing & Braun,
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2018). The researchers add that PTSD is a mental health disorder and should only be addressed
by a mental health professional. The most effective approach that the professional should
consider in addressing the condition is exposure therapy. In this case, exposure therapy involves
exposing the patient to a condition similar to the one that was experienced during the traumatic
event to make the person get used to the issue. The more the patient gets used to the issue, the
better the health condition experienced. During the service delivery, the patient should cater to
the cost of the services to ensure that he or she makes an effort to heal from the condition. If such
services are offered for free, the veteran will take a long to heal since he or she may not pay
more attention to the treatment approaches.
According to the evidence mentioned above, there are two implications that can be
obtained. One of them is that veterans with PTSD should only be served by a mental health
professional. The other one is that the services offered to the veterans should be charged. These
two implications are contrary to the team’s approach, and the position developed.
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References
Cushing, R. E., & Braun, K. L. (2018). Mind-body therapy for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review. The Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine, 24(2), 106-114. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2017.0176
Johnson, R. A., Albright, D. L., Marzolf, J. R., Bibbo, J. L., Yaglom, H. D., Crowder, S. M., … &
Harms, N. (2018). Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on post-traumatic stress
disorder in military veterans. Military medical research, 5(1), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-018-0149-6
Raskind, M. A., Peskind, E. R., Chow, B., Harris, C., Davis-Karim, A., Holmes, H. A., … &
Huang, G. D. (2018). Trial of prazosin for post-traumatic stress disorder in military
veterans. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(6), 507-517.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1507598
1
Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal
Elke Guerrero
Capella University
NURS-FPX6026: Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advance Nursing Practice 2
Professor Janet MacLaren
March 1st,2022
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Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal
Policy and Guidelines that will lead to improved Outcomes and Quality of Care
According to research conducted, it has been found that most military veterans
experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Raskind et al., 2018). Military veterans are
vulnerable to PTSD because they were exposed to hostile working environments during their
service to the nation. Before leaving their occupation, this population takes part in different
warzones fighting for their nation or defending their allies. During such war zones, some acquire
life-threatening physical injuries while others lose their colleagues in traumatizing scenarios.
When they later left the occupation safely, the events that took place during their service became
traumatizing to them, leading to the development of PTSD.
In this case, PTSD refers to a mental health issue triggered by a life-threatening or a
traumatic event that occurred in the past after an individual experienced or witnessed it (Cushing
& Braun, 2018). This mental health issue leads to uncontrollable negative thoughts, severe
anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks. At times, especially among military veterans, injuries
sustained can contribute to flashbacks since they can remind an individual about the traumatic
event that the person experienced or witnessed in the past. Besides, PTSD contributes to the
development of other mental health disorders that make the illness more severe. For example, an
individual with PTSD may develop stress, anxiety, and depression associated with PTSD. This
implies that when PTSD is addressed, the symptoms associated with the developed mental
disorders also have to be treated. Without treating such conditions, the person will develop PTSD
after some time, even after successfully treating it. This implies that though PTSD needs to be
treated among military veterans, other mental health disorders and physical injuries must also be
addressed (Cushing & Braun, 2018).
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Due to increased health issues that military veterans develop before and after leaving
their occupation, they spend much money and their savings seeking medical treatments. The high
costs of medical treatments leave some veterans in poverty, an aspect that affects not only the
veterans but also their families. Some veterans even end up being homeless regardless of being
loyal to their country when serving the nation. Therefore, based on the understanding of the
veterans’ previous working conditions, PTSD, and other health issues associated with the illness,
policies, and guidelines need to be developed to improve their health condition. One of the
policies that should be developed involves providing free medical treatments among military
veterans with PTSD and related health issues (Cushing & Braun, 2018). Besides, the guidelines
necessary to ensure improved health conditions among this population involve providing
veterans holistic care through an interprofessional team approach. The individuals that should
ensure that this population is served according to the developed policy and guidelines are the
Veterans Affairs department, the healthcare professionals, and the government. The military
veterans can have improved health conditions free from PTSD and other underlying health issues
through the proposed policy and guidelines.
Advocating for the Proposed Policy in the Context of Current Outcomes and Care
The proposed policy and guidelines are critical among the veterans based on their current
health conditions and the care they receive. No policy has been developed to ensure that military
veterans with PTSD are provided with free holistic care. This population usually caters to their
health costs, with only a few benefiting from national health programs. Since the healthcare costs
for the veterans are considered to be their responsibility, most of them never seek medical
interventions regardless of the fact that they experience severe health issues. Failure to seek
healthcare services has made most veterans experience deteriorated health conditions that have
significantly impacted their lives negatively (Johnson et al., 2018). Though most of them have
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PTSD, there are several other health issues that they have developed, making the illness severe.
Therefore, these health issues can only be addressed through holistic care involving an
interprofessional team as per the proposed policy.
Besides, military veterans in the U.S. currently receive low-quality healthcare services
since they have no one to advocate for their health. The quality of services provided to the
veterans is determined by their ability to pay for the services offered. This implies that only a
few veterans receive quality care since not everyone affords the cost of the services. However,
this issue can be addressed by the proposed policy and guidelines since they can receive
healthcare services for free. Through free holistic care services among all veterans, the quality of
care can be improved.
It is important to work towards improving the quality of care better outcomes among
veterans, especially those with PTSD. This is because the veterans developed such health issues
while serving the nation and defending the country from external attacks. This implies that they
suffer on behalf of the country. Besides, it is necessary to address the health conditions
experienced by this population since they are also citizens and should be served equally with
other residents or better (Johnson et al., 2018). Improving the quality of care and health
outcomes also reduces the population’s dependence on their families and relatives, thus
improving the country’s wellness. All these improvements can be made possible through the
policy and the guidelines developed, whereby the interprofessional team should provide free
holistic care to the veterans to improve their access to care services.
The Potential for an Interprofessional Approach to implementing a Proposed Policy
The interprofessional team is critical in promoting health among veterans with PTSD.
This is because the health issues associated with the illness also need to be treated for the
veterans with PTSD to have good health. Treating PTSD without attending to the physical
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injuries experienced by the veterans cannot health the illness. This is because the physical
injuries served as a reminder of the traumatic event that the veterans experienced. Therefore,
physicians need to be involved in the interprofessional team to ensure that the physical injuries
are well treated. The physicians also need to prescribe medications to the patients, especially the
medications for PTSD, among other mental health issues associated with the condition (Raskind
et al., 2018). For the effectiveness of the treatment and the use of the prescribed medications,
nurses need to be involved in serving as caregivers and educators on medication adherence.
Moreover, psychotherapists are critical in treating PTSD and other related conditions such as
stress, depression, and anxiety. These professionals can treat such mental disorders through
psychotherapy options such as exposure therapy and cognitive behavior therapy. Through the
collaboration of these healthcare professionals, the effectiveness and efficiency of care can be
improved, thus enhancing the quality of care and the health outcomes among veterans with
PTSD.
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References
Cushing, R. E., & Braun, K. L. (2018). Mind-body therapy for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review. The Journal of Alternative and
Complementary Medicine, 24(2), 106-114. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2017.0176
Johnson, R. A., Albright, D. L., Marzolf, J. R., Bibbo, J. L., Yaglom, H. D., Crowder, S. M., … &
Harms, N. (2018). Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on post-traumatic stress
disorder in military veterans. Military medical research, 5(1), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-018-0149-6
Raskind, M. A., Peskind, E. R., Chow, B., Harris, C., Davis-Karim, A., Holmes, H. A., … &
Huang, G. D. (2018). Trial of prazosin for post-traumatic stress disorder in military
veterans. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(6), 507-517.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1507598

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