Evidence Base in Design When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.

Evidence Base in Design When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.

The prevalence of burnout and stress among are healthcare professionals date way before the COVID-19 pandemic. The reality of the US health care environment before the arrival of COVID-19 was already concerning due to shortages of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare workers (Ross, 2020). Most healthcare providers are working very long hours with less staffing. The media focus at the beginning of the pandemic was mainly on the number of ventilators and hospital beds, and completely lacking in those discussions was the question of available qualified, healthy healthcare professionals to care for the rest of the population (Ross, 2020). According to Shah et al. (2021), the covid 19 pandemic worsened burnout by worsening the already existing healthcare worker shortages in facilities and hospitals. The lack of nurses and other healthcare providers put so much pressure on the remaining few professionals to shoulder all the responsibility of providing care. The Covid 19 pandemic exacerbated the burnout rates in the healthcare workforce to the extent of suicide for some (Kaine, 2021). This discussion will review a policy that can affect all of us directly or indirectly as healthcare providers, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act addresses behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals (congrsss.gov, 2021). Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout have been studied throughout the nation, especially with the pandemic exacerbating the problem. (Kaine 2021).

Description of the health policy

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was introduced in 2020 by Senator Kaine, who has been leading the talks on the mental health impact of the pandemic on health care workers (congesss.gov, 2021). This policy aims to provide the resources for healthcare providers to get the needed care now during the pandemic and in the future (Kaine 2021). The policy calls for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to hospitals, medical professional associations, and other healthcare facilities for programs to promote mental health and resiliency among health care professionals (congesss.gov, 2021). It is also calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch a campaign encouraging health care workers to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns without consequence (Congress. Gov, 2021). As Kaine (2021) stated, the trauma that most healthcare workers are subjected to through the pandemic will leave lifelong emotional and physical damage. Thus, the need for setting this resource for the healthcare workers who risked their lives daily to save others. The grants from HHS are to provide relevant mental and behavioral health training of health care students, residents, or professionals with evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders (Kaine, 2021). In summary, the policy will focus on removing barriers to accessing care and treatment and identifying strategies to promote resiliency, thereby improving mental and behavioral health amongst healthcare providers (Congress.gov, 2021).

Evidence bases to support the proposed policy

The U.S. Senate Passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act has been praised by many organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Nurses Association (ANA), and The Physicians Foundation (THE LEGISLATION, n.d.). American Nurses Association (ANA) (2021) applauded the timely and unanimous passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act by the United States Senate on August 6th, 2021. ANA (2021) states that this critical legislation will help reduce and prevent mental and behavioral health conditions, suicide, and burnout among health care professionals who continue to be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. The bipartisan sponsorship of this policy is evidence base to support its proposal. Given the information above, this bill is a national plea for all healthcare workers to get the resources needed to manage mental health and burnout.

References

ANA Enterprise. (2021, August 11). ANA Applauds U.S. Senate Passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen

Health Care Provider Protection Act. https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/202