AWM2 — AWM2 TASK 1: ADVOCATING FOR POLICY CHANGE TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES IN THE COMMUNITY

2 The advanced professional nurse (APN) advocates for an at-risk population in the community as well as at the individual patient level. Although there are many similarities regarding how one may advocate for either an individual or an at-risk population, there are many differences. An APN in the clinical setting can take a small amount of data and do an assessment of one individual within a small period to make an assessment and gather as much information as they can to gain a good sense of a patient's learning needs and potential risks. Skills such as interview and hands on assessment give an advanced professional nurse a solid idea of what the patients' specific needs are. The focus is on personal preferences and goals of the patient. The individual patient is the commonality of care, and many other interdisciplinary teams are involved in that one specific case with minor tweaks in the plan of care to best adapt to the individual for the best outcome. Now on the contrary, the advanced practice nurse has a lot of moving pieces that need to fall into place with a different timeline to be able to effectively advocate for an at-risk population in the community setting. The APN must gather information and research on the social determinants of health that is currently affecting a community with disregard for personal needs and goals for each specific

3 patient and instead focusing on the needs and goals of the entire population in its entirety. Another difference in the process for advocating for an individual versus a community is the timeline and complexity of all the moving parts. An individual care plan may very well be complicated and complex, but it focuses on the individual with the ability to assess changes and advocate on a shorter timeline than a community advocacy plan. In addition, most team members who will be involved in the care of the individual will be directly involved with that specific patient. To advocate for a community, the APN must involve stakeholders as well as policy makers to advocate and generate change. The advanced practice nurse is trained and able to promote interprofessional collaboration within the Advocacy Action Team (AAT). By using evidence- based practices such as ensuring communication with mutual trust and respect and identifying common goals. The promotion of collaboration is extremely important due to “healthcare becoming increasingly complex and fragmented” and it has become essential to have an individual training to promote teamwork and critical thinking skills across all disciplines to promote and ensure that the best care is being delivered (Goldsberry, 2018).