Week 14 Module Discussion Board: Evaluation of an Evidence Informed Health Policy Program/Change (CSLO 1, 3, 4)
Now that you have learned the process of EIHP implementation, review one of the global examples of evidence-informed policymaking in Appendix B, and evaluate how the policy was implemented. The full documents referenced are listed on the reading assignments page for this module (see attached file).
| Discussion Board Initial Posting Rubric | |||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Relevance to the topic or problem |
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20 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Insight and application of course concepts |
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40 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Use of evidence and support |
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25 pts | |||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Grammar, Punctuation & APA |
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15 pts | |||
Evaluation of an Evidence Informed Health Policy Program/Change
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Evaluation of an Evidence Informed Health Policy Program/Change
Healthcare organizations need data and evidence to make decisions and implement informed programs. Using evidence to inform policy is not a new idea in healthcare. What is new and interesting is the emphasis put on the concept of evidence-informed health policy program/change (Cook et al., 2017). Evaluating how health policy programs/change is established is, therefore, fundamental to success in healthcare. This paper evaluates the selected evidence-informed health policy program/change.
In the article “A call for evidence-based medical treatment of opioid dependence in the United States and Canada.” Nosyk et al. (2013) are suggesting that it is high time to have policy change or programs that promote evidence-based medical treatment of opioid dependence both in the United States and Canada. The authors described the problem which is the lack of evidence-based treatment for opioid dependence. The authors of this article argued that over forty years after the introduction of opioid substitution treatment, professionals have had more tools than ever to treat opioid dependence (Nosyk et al., 2013). However, such tools are not being utilized to their greatest potential in the U.S. and Canada.
The policy change is of great significance to the healthcare industry. The primary aim of healthcare is to improve the health status of individual patients and the entire community. Opioid dependence has indeed been a serious issue both in Canada and the United States and even in other countries (NIH, 2016). For instance, as of 2009, there were about 2.3 million people in the US suffering from opioid dependence. On the other hand, Canada had approximately between 75000 to 125000 injection drug users.
In this policy program paper, the authors provided a comprehensive background of issues surrounding the main topic, evidence-based treatment of opioid dependence. They have claimed that opioid dependence is now the second leading cause of accidental deaths in the US. It is indeed essential to employ evidence-based treatment to improve health. According to Cook et al. (2017), applying evidence-based principles ensures that healthcare professionals use the best existing evidence at the starting point. However, they may simultaneously afford them the flexibility to individualize. More specifically, evidence-based practice ensures that providers critically assess the data available and apply it to individual patient circumstances.
In that regard, the authors recommended some practices which they regarded as evidence-informed practices. Substitution treatment with methadone or buprenorphine has been demonstrated to be effective in several randomized trials, meta-analyses, and large-scale longitudinal studies across the globe. Nosyk et al. (2013) recommended expanding treatment to the office-based setting. This recommendation is evidence-informed in the sense that methadone and buprenorphine are the most common opioid substitution treatment globally (NIH, 2016). However, access to these medications, especially methadone, is highly restricted in the US than elsewhere in the world. Treatment in doctors’ offices can expand access to these medications. Another recommendation from the authors is that treatment for opioid dependence should be covered by both public and private insurers (NIH, 2016). Another recommendation is that healthcare organizations need to assess new and emerging medications to optimize treatment. This evidence-informed health policy provided tangible evidence to support the recommendations.
Conclusion
Evidence-informed health policies are established to optimize treatment. Based on the ravaging effects of opioid dependence in the US and Canada, there is a need for evidence-based treatment to improve the health of those affected. In the described article, the authors provided sufficient evidence to support the evidence-informed health policy change as described in the recommendations.
References
Cook, S. C., Schwartz, A. C., & Kaslow, N. J. (2017). Evidence-based psychotherapy: Advantages and challenges. Neurotherapeutics, 14(3), 537-545. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5509639/
Nosyk, B., Anglin, M. D., Brissette, S., Kerr, T., Marsh, D. C., Schackman, B. R., … & Montaner, J. S. (2013). A call for evidence-based medical treatment of opioid dependence in the United States and Canada. Health affairs, 32(8), 1462-1469.
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0846
NIH. (2016). Opioid use disorder affects millions. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/effective-treatments-opioid-addiction