IMPORTANCE OF THE HEALTHCARE ISSUE
Drug abuse is a national health concern in the united states and is one of the leading causes of death. The prevalence of drug abuse such as opioids, alcohol, heroin, and cocaine has tripped over the past decade; thus, it calls for national effort in its prevention (Maruta, Swanson, & Finlayson, 2018). The health issue is important because it has a significant impact on individuals, families, and communities. The effects of drug abuse are cumulative and contribute to unaffordable social, physical, mental, and public health problems. The United States presidents have developed several initiatives to reduce drug supply, reduce demand, facilitate treatment, and recovery process of the affected Americans.
The health issue should be included in the agenda for legislation to fight the impacts of neglect, stigmatization, and contributing factors such as physical and sexual abuse, poverty, and domestic violence. The goal of preventing drug abuse is to improve the quality of life, accessibility of health services, and healthy living. Including drug abuse in the legislative agenda will facilitate appropriate resource allocation, better treatment approaches, evidence-based support, improved education for health professionals, and involvement of NGOs in program funding (Han et al., 2017). It will also facilitate the development of drug policies that will effectively reduce drug abuse incidence by utilizing research and clinical expertise.
ROLE OF NURSES IN AGENDA SETTING
Health professionals are at the frontline in the treatment and management of healthcare concerns. Nurses are the core primary care providers who continually interacts with the drug addicts, understand their difficulties, and are actively involved in community initiatives (Han et al., 2017). Agenda setting considers all aspects of an individual, family, and community impact; thus, nurses play a role in developing quality improvement initiatives. They are also patient advocates involved in presenting patient concerns, challenges, and impact of drug abuse in the community livelihoods. Lastly, nursing education, practice, and research provide nurses with an extensive knowledge base on effective community programs founded on evidence, hence facilitating the development of practical and affordable initiatives that meet the needs of the population.
References
Han, B., Compton, W. M., Blanco, C., Crane, E., Lee, J., & Jones, C. M. (2017). Prescription opioid use, misuse, and use disorders in US adults: 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Annals of internal medicine, 167(5), 293-301. Retrieved from: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/abs/10.7326/m17-0865
Maruta, T., Swanson, D. W., & Finlayson, R. E. (2018). Drug abuse and dependency in patients with chronic pain. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 241-244). Retrieved from: https://europepmc.org/article/med/423603