How State Board Nursing Practice Standards and Organizational or Governmental Policies Could Affect the Opioid Crisis

In the wake of the opioid epidemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) heightened measures to address this crisis. The HHS detailed five-point interventions for opioid addiction crisis management. These are enhancing research on opioid crisis interventions, providing addiction prevention services, providing data on the epidemic, better pain management, and better targeting of opioid antidotes. On the other hand, the NIH advocated for alternative non-addictive strategies to manage chronic pain. The enactment of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act and the Opioid Crisis Review Act (OCRA) were also pivotal in this fight. These enactments improved care responses to the crisis by encouraging preventive measures and treatment of substance abuse disorders. In addition, Lee et al. (2021) demonstrate that the federal efforts in policy provisions and care interventions targeting the opioid crisis have seen a reduction in the misuse of prescription opioids in the U.S.

Nurses maintain significance in the policy-making processes targeting opioid crisis interventions. Their role in this regard is to conform to the practice standards outlined by the HHS and to provide care to persons with overdose. They should also participate in the data collection process for the incidence of overdose, detailing care processes that may require adjustments. Their advocacy roles also make them valuable in educating patients on the harmful effects of opioids. Baccalaureate-prepared nurses and graduate nurses can also participate in research processes seeking to identify alternative non-addictive pain management remedies as set out by HHS and NIH.

State policies on opioid interventions outline the need for preventive and treatment measures for opioid overdose and addiction. These policies implore nurses to utilize their nursing knowledge in advocacy to rally communities against opioid misuse. As health educators, nurses are expected to inform communities about the harmful effects of opioids and the need for rational use of prescription opioid analgesics. However, these policies fall short of expanding nurses’ involvement in managing this epidemic. Limitation still exists on nursing practice authority and the ability of nurses to prescribe opioid analgesics in chronic pain (Nikpour & Broome, 2021). Additionally, fewer changes have been made to ensure comprehensive nursing education on opioid use disorders and chronic pain management.

Leadership Strategies to Improve Outcomes, Patient-Centered Care, and the Patient Experience Related to the Opioid Crisis

Effective leadership is paramount for effective intervention in the opioid epidemic. Thus, nurses and other healthcare professionals should adopt effective leadership strategies. These strategies include effective communication, the ability to inspire organizational subjects toward change, and self-awareness. Successful leaders also maintain organizational transparency and demonstrate learning agility.

Leadership plays a big role in containing the epidemic. Leaders enhance organizational vigilance towards the crisis by influencing organizational members to be vigilant. They also rally organizational members towards the set-out goals, thus ensuring their collaboration and concertedness in epidemic interventions. Leaders also coordinate care among professionals, thus ensuring that every aspect that needs to be addressed is properly handled.

Collaboration and effective communication are both warranted to ensure the containment of the opioid crisis. Effective collaboration strategies in healthcare include sharing responsibilities, effective communication, role interdependence, assumption of complementary roles, mutual respect, accountability, and cooperation (Schot et al., 2019). To communicate effectively, both parties should use simple language, be good listeners, maintain flexibility toward the other’s opinions, remain genuine during conversations, and maintain objectivity. These strategies foster a positive work environment and perpetuate peer understanding.

To effect change processes in healthcare, leaders must utilize effective change management strategies in these change processes. These strategies include maintaining transparency, effective communication, inviting participation from organizational members, and creating a roadmap for the change process (Moussa et al., 2019). Leaders should also choose a suitable change model to utilize in the change processes and be patient with the change process.

Conclusion

The opioid addiction crisis highlights one of the ongoing population issues that present challenges to the healthcare system. The adverse consequences of this epidemic warrant h