Question

Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?

Answer 1

Nursing is one of the most trusted professions, and nurse advocacy makes a considerable difference in how legislation is introduced and implemented. A nurse's advocacy in any healthcare-related legislation is of paramount importance to decision-makers, and nurses often make a huge difference in healthcare legislation. Nurses act as healthcare policy liaisons and the most appropriate, accurate, and timely legislations are made with their combined effort. They help and coordinate with legislatures to formulate patient-centered and evidence-based legislation by a deliberate and continuous process of educating legislatures. Nursing advocacy is based on the preservation of human dignity, freedom from suffering, and patient equality.

An example of legislation enacted with nurse advocacy is the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act (STAR Act) of 2018, enacted on June 5, 2018. The STAR Act was enacted to identify childhood cancer patients, improve their quality of life as survivors, ensuring pediatric expertise by requiring the National Cancer Advisory Board to have a pediatric oncology expert as a member, and identify chances of increasing childhood cancer research to give better treatment for these children. The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) sent a mail about this bipartisan legislation in February 2017 to Senator Jack Reed and later had letters sent to House leaders persuading them to accelerate favorable voting for the bill. This was passed in the Senate in March 2018.

Oncology nurses who are regularly involved in treatments and side-effect management are quite familiar with the emotional, physical, and financial issues of childhood cancer. These nurses also play a pivotal role in subsequent follow-ups and care-coordination as well as in giving survivor care plans when they become adults. The enactment of this legislation resulted in an increased pace of pediatric cancer research with an emphasis on delayed effects on survivors and childhood cancer treatment. There was an increase in the number of survivors as a result of better treatment options. Research is being conducted on the delayed effects on the survivors and efforts are made to reduce the negative outcomes. All these have resulted in more positive outcomes with fewer side effects and a better understanding of the disease, treatment, and patients.

Additional steps should be taken to continue the advocacy for this issue. It should be made sure that the research is going on in the right direction and will be beneficial for pediatric oncology patients for a speedy recovery and lesser side effects. It should be ensured that they can live a normal life without any delayed effects. Careful assessment and monitoring of the patients are necessary to record positive outcomes, which can later be used for evidence-based suggestions for the further betterment of pediatric oncology. This Act has been praised by many oncology professionals as a right move in the right direction, but as in the case of any other legislation, it should be done by the right people at the right time to get the maximum out of it.