What key points could a nurse bring to this meeting and subject?
Week 2 Discussion
RE: Discussion Prompt 2
Nurses play a vital role in policy development since they have the most insight to the patient’s needs and can represent them effectively. Indeed, the nursing profession is built upon the science of caring and human health and operates based on a framework that holistically values all people and seeks to advance their health across all societal levels and individual lifespans. With that being said, nurses’ role in policy development can be vital in helping to define and integrate proper standards for care delivery and to address the necessary conditions required for them to occur. Nurses’ role in policy development is essential in shaping the care that can be provided presently and in the future as well. The role of policy development should not be emphasized nationally alone but should span across borders to solve issues affecting nursing and healthcare at a global level as well.
The public policy meeting on the crisis of vaping and e-cigarettes that was chaired by the president for Tobacco-Free Kids Matthew Myers was relevant and necessary given the increased number of teenagers being lured into smoking from an early stage. Nurses attending the meeting can be useful in shading light to the health damage caused by the consumption of such appealing products. The inhalation of harmful chemicals used in the manufacture of such products can cause irreversible lung disease and lung damage. For instance, e-cigarettes are made up of two-primary ingredients: vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, which are toxic to cells. E-cigarettes can also cause several dangerous chemicals like acrolein, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, which can cause cardiovascular and lung diseases. Other diseases that can be caused by e-cigarettes include COPD and lung injury that can develop to lung cancer or asthma, as a result of acrolein substance (herbicide used to kill weeds). All in all, the reduction or control in the use of e-cigarettes and vaping can be useful in saving lives of the nation’s young generation and avoid further complications as they advance in age.
References
American Lung Association. (2020). The Impact of E-Cigarettes on the lung. Retrieved from: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/impact-of-e-cigarettes-on-lung