The Capacity for Advocacy through Legislation is Mental Health

The Capacity for Advocacy through Legislation is Mental Health
Identify a problem or concern in your state, community, or organization that has the capacity to be advocated through legislation. Research the issue and complete the sections below. For each topic that requires the listing of criteria, a minimum of two criteria should be identified and discussed. Add more rows as is appropriate for the topic/proposal.
Problem
In no more than 250 words, describe the problem, who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues.

One concern in the nursing community that has the capacity for advocacy through legislation is mental health: the nursing professional is not only characterized by a stressful work environment but also a stoic culture that stigmatizes mental health issues. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the epidemic of clinician mental health problems but the health care sector has been slow to utilize the public health emergency as a catalyst for progress towards supporting optimal mental health for all nurses. Even though the pandemic has abated, nurses continue to endure the elevated risk of stress, moral injury, burnout, trauma, depression, and other mental health issues common among frontline nurses. Nurses’ mental health issues are tied to the immense challenges facing the health care system including staff shortages triggered by cost-cutting measures, increased patient complexity and care needs, a growing patient population, as well as workplace bullying and incivility. The stoic culture in the nursing profession often demands that depressed clinicians continue upholding a “professional face” amidst their mental health issues. Nurses’ mental health challenges have adverse effects on multiple levels. At the patient level, they negatively impact nurses’ capacity to provide safe, quality, and empathetic care, resulting in such effects as poor relationships with patient, general and medication administration errors, and overall patient dissatisfaction (Søvold et al., 2021). At the individual level, they negatively impact clinicians’ quality of life and work engagement levels resulting in such effects as absenteeism and staff turnover. At the organizational level, mental health issues result in unmotivated staff, civil lawsuits, high attrition rates, and loss of revenue.

Idea for Addressing Solution
In no more than 250 words, outline your idea for addressing the issue and explain why legislation is the best course for advocacy.

My idea for addressing the issue is making nurses’ mental health a high priority not only during public health emergencies, but on an ongoing basis. One of the ways nurses’ mental health needs can be prioritized is by addressing staff shortages and limiting the length of work shifts: nurse employers need to redesign their work systems to ensure adequate staffing, job control, workload, and scheduling. They should also promote a wellness work culture where nurses are encouraged to take advantage of mandatory breaks and leave policies to de-stress and practice self-care. Healthcare institutions should strive to eliminate the perceived stigma among clinicians associated with having m...