The Contribution of Hospital Staff and Patients to Health Policy

This essay delves into the significant contributions of hospital staff and patients in shaping health policies. It highlights the roles of doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff in providing insights and expertise for policy development, emphasizing their direct impact on treatment procedures and patient c...Read More

Running Head: HOSPITAL STAFF AND PATIENTS CONTRIBUTION TO HEALTH
POLICY 1
Hospital Staff and Patients Contribution to Health Policy
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Hospital Staff and Patients Contribution to Health Policy
Introduction
A good policy is explained as a decision or a plan which is taken to meet a certain hospital goal
within a given society (Abel-Smith, 2016). Health policy can help in achieving certain goals
since it gives the meaning of the vision of the healthcare organization, it describes the priorities
and the roles of different groups in healthcare organization and also helps in building agreement.
Health policy, in other words, can be said to be used to inform people in any healthcare
organization. Health policy has several categories including international health policy, services
policy, and policy regarding insurance, pharmacy policies, and concerned public policies among
others.
The health policy is a critical issue in any healthcare organization since it gives the outline of
what is expected to be accomplished within a given period. It also helps in working under given
restrictions whereby everyone will be careful in handling both machines involved and the
patients' attended (Abel-Smith, 2016). These policies are mostly contributed by both the hospital
staff and the patients. This paper will discuss how the hospital staff and the patients will
contribute towards the health policies. It will go in depth to talk the hospital staff involved and
their responsibilities towards the system.
Hospital Staff Contribution to Health Policy
Several people are contributing to the health care in any given hospital. They work together to
provide complete and successful treatments using their abilities and experience of medication
and catering (Abel-Smith, 2016). The hospital staff includes doctors or medical faculty, nurses,

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allied health professionals and hospital support staff. All these categories play a vital role in
ensuring that the policies are met, and the quality treatment is reached (Mossialos et al., 2015).
How Doctors Contribute to Health Policy
Doctors have several duties to perform depending on their level of skills and experience. They
tend to be the high rated consultants who give appointment to patients and work at specific
times. They also provide special treatments like cancers, diabetes, neurosurgeries among others
to the patients. Doctors act as the final answer to any disease in any given hospital. They provide
detailed procedures on certain surgeries since they are known to be specialists in that sector.
Through performing their duties, they work closely with the hospital's policies so that they may
meet the goals (Mossialos et al., 2015).
Doctors provide ideas on the policies which can best fit any hospital (Abel-Smith, 2016). They
provide information on the best processes which can be employed for a successful surgery. The
procedures established by the top management should also consider the time when the doctor
will be available and even the capability of performing a specific task. Through that, we can
conclude that doctors are the contributors to the health policies.
How Nurses Contribute to Health Policy
Nurses are believed to be the most effective staff in any hospital. They manage most of the
treatments, they assess, plan and administer patients' general health and day to day treatments.
They also direct the patients to the specific doctors of certain diseases or the medical issues.
Nurses are of different categories which include unit manager responsible for running the ward.
There are also nurse practitioners who are highly skilled and take part mostly in treatment (Abel-
Smith, 2016). There are also nurses who are termed to be specialists including clinical nurse

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specialists, consultants, educators, and emergency department nurses. Through the duties they
perform, nurses provide the policies like the special duties for each category of nurses. They help
in arranging the duties of the tasks to be performed throughout the day or even night shifts. They
also provide the policy about the wards since they are mostly involved in ward departments.
They can give the procedure for the attendance of the patient's parents or caretakers. They
provide information for the conducive time a patient can be visited and also the best time to be
released.
Other Hospital Staff Contribution
Hospital also requires keen management which will ensure that everything is in order.
Management should provide the machines and medicine for operations in any given hospital.
The management staff includes clinical assistants who are responsible forward and
housekeeping, patient services assistants who provide meals for the patients; porters take care of
lifting and transport and ward clerks who work in reception desk (Mossialos et al., 2015). The
staff mentioned above gives the guidelines on the best meals to be provided to the patients. They
also offer the best ways on how the patients can be taken care of. The management should also
provide policies on the regular provision of the machine and medicine responsible for daily
operations. The financial department provides the best financial institution in the hospital.
Through this conclusion can be made that management are also the core contributors to the
health policy.

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Patients' Contribution to the Health Policy
Patients should collaborate with their specialists or doctors to understand in depth the nature of
their diseases. This helps in actively participating in the decision and provide the informed
consent to any treatment plan. Patients are the customers in the hospitals, and proper handling
should be taken (Mossialos et al., 2015). Their views should be well considered and analyzed in
depth. Patients' needs like the food they should consume, the dates to be released, and the disease
affected and the procedure of operation affects the health policies in any given hospital.
They also disclose their feelings to the concerned staff which helps in making the procedures of
the treatment. Patients should also be satisfied with the way he is treated which affects the
policies since the health workers work keenly to avoid any misadventure. Patient needs should
be well outlined in any health policy and be well understood by both the patient and the staff
involved.
Conclusion
By going through the paper, you will have to understand that health policies can adversely be
affected by the staff and the patients as the key contributors in hospitals. Without their
contribution (Mossialos et al., 2015). The hospital may be poorly management, and quality work
may not be achieved. Therefore, there is a call for the hospitals to involve health staff and
patients in policymaking.

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Reference
Mossialos, E., Courtin, E., Naci, H., Benrimoj, S., Bouvy, M., Farris, K.,&Sketris, I. (2015).
From “retailers” to health care providers: transforming the role of community
pharmacists in chronic disease management. Health Policy, 119(5), 628-639.
Abel-Smith, B. (2016). An introduction to health: policy, planning and financing. Routledge.