Introduction
Studies show that the Nurse Practitioner Practice Act in every state is known to play a significant role that is different in every country and is aimed at governing and regulating the scope of practice for nursing practitioners. The nursing practitioner laws are tailored to determine the extent to which the nursing practitioner can autonomously provide quality care towards the patients and include management of the patients in the society having co-morbid conditions. This particular discussion is aimed at giving analyzation of how the practice act in my state can influence negatively the quality and patient efficacy of patient care through examination of a specific case scenario(Turi et al,2023).
Discussion
The nursing laws that are evident in my state do empower the available nursing practitioners with the aim of comprehensive and autonomous care towards patients. The nursing practitioner practice laws grant the nursing practitioner the authority at any time to be in the position of independently diagnosing, treating and managing patients’ conditions which studies confirm that most can significantly contribute towards the delivery of the best quality care and effective healthcare. In the aim to provide holistic care towards patients, there is an increased need for collaboration and coordination among healthcare professionals in any healthcare setup.
Nevertheless, despite the Nursing Practitioners Act, there are certain restrictions imposed by the Practice Act law that can highly influence the delivery of optimal care towards patients in society. Many of these limiting factors range from the requirements regarding physician collaboration and supervision which impacts negatively the nursing practitioner’s ability to at any time autonomously aid in managing complex cases that mostly involve co-morbid conditions. These restrictions across the states are known to lead to delayed care, increasing healthcare costs and as a result decreasing patient satisfaction in the healthcare sectors
In the case study of the 35-year-old African American male who is in the healthcare ready seeking for insomnia and associated anxiety. Through the patient’s description, he affirms that in the past he has always been self-meditating by using excessive alcohol, which is a clear indication of a potential substance use disorder in the past the patient possesses a history of having tried treating depression with the application of Prozac. The existence of multiple conditions as exhibited by the patient in the healthcare set-up and the increased need for the patient to receive comprehensive assessment and management shows the increased need for having integrated care towards the patient by the healthcare provider.
Sometimes the United States Practice Act may influence the nursing practitioner’s ability towards ensuring there is provision of timely and effective care. For example, if the practice act dictates that the nursing practitioners can only prescribe certain medications in this case or there is an increased need for collaboration with a physician for the prescription authority then in this scenario the nursing practitioner can be exposed to having limited ability towards ensuring there is prescription of the best medication regarding depression and insomnia and this on the other hand could lead to delays thus hindering patients ability towards managing their symptoms effectively.
In addition, if the United States Practice Act limits and has restrictions on the nursing practitioner’s ability in the aim to order certain diagnostic tests or to perform certain procedures independently it may result in reducing the nursing practitioner’s ability towards thoroughly assess the patient’s condition and thus identifying any underlying causes resulting to the patient having sleep disturbances(Harris et al,2020). The limitation may generally put the patient at a disadvantage because when there are increased delays in diagnosing and addressing the underlying issue in many cases can hurt their overall health and the patient’s well-being.
If the practice act limits the nursing practitioners from delivering their role of practising to the full extent of their education and training it may on the other hand limit and reduce the nursing practitioners’ ability towards the provision of holistic care as in many instances the nursing practitioners are mostly well equipped to addressing the physical, emotional and the social aspects regarding the patient’s health, In this particular case the patient was noted to have increased anxiety and the negative impact of inadequate sleep on the patient’s daily functionality requires an integrated approach towards addressing both mental health and the sleep disorders of the patient. However in a situation when the nursing practitioner’s scope of practice is generally restricted in these areas the patient in this case may not be in the position to receive the comprehensive care he requires
Conclusion
Every state across the globe plays a crucial role towards shaping the effectiveness and quality of the patient care that every patient needs particularly for patients having co-morbid conditions. In my state the Practice Act allows nursing practitioners to provide autonomous care to the patients thus emphasizing the increased need for collaboration, certain limitations and restrictions generally impede the delivery of optimal healthcare to patients in the healthcare settings(Winqvist, et al,2023). Most of these limitations hindering quality care towards the patients may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment of the depressive patient, leading to increased healthcare costs and this ends up in reduced patient satisfaction. Through the act of recognition of the impact of these restrictions, it is crucial to advocate for the policies that are aimed at promoting the full scope of practice for nursing practitioners in the healthcare settings thus ensuring that the patients are in a position they can easily receive timely, comprehensive and effective care
References
Turi, E., McMenamin, A., Kueakomoldej, S., Kurtzman, E., & Poghosyan, L. (2023). The effectiveness of nurse practitioner care for patients with mental health conditions in primary care settings: A systematic review. Nursing Outlook, 71(4), 101995.
Harris, O. O., Leblanc, N., McGee, K., Randolph, S., Wharton, M. J., & Relf, M. (2020). Alarm at the Gate–Health and Social Inequalities are Co-Morbid Conditions of HIV and COVID-19. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care: JANAC, 31(4), 367.
Winqvist, I., Näppä, U., & Häggström, M. (2023). Quality of care during rural care transitions: a qualitative study on structural conditions. BMC nursing, 22(1), 262.
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