Evidence-Informed Health Policy STUDENT WORKBOOK

As a student of nursing or another healthcare profession, you have likely been introduced to evidence-based practice (EBP) as a means for addressing clinical problems. The accompanying book will introduce you to EBP's parallel in health policy-evidence-informed health policymaking as a process for addressing health policy problems. It is exciting to think that we, as healthcare providers, can have an impact on the making of good health policy and have the means to influence our policymakers. To do that, we also need to be grounded in the structure and function of government, familiarize ourselves with who represents us in government, and have a beginning understanding of how political systems work. This student workbook is designed as a companion to the primary book, Evidence-Informed Health Policy: Using EBP to Transform Policy in Nursing and Healthcare, which will provide you with the necessary grounding in policy and policymaking, persuade you that evidence can be used to influence policymaking, and which describes an evidence-informed health policymaking model.

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE

The purpose of the Evidence-Informed Health Policy Student Workbook is to provide learning activities and case studies that relate to each book chapter that will help deepen the student's understanding of government structure, function, and evidence-informed health policymaking. Three chapters provide one accompanying learning activity; each of the remaining chapters provides multiple learning activities. In addition, three case studies are included; each of these focuses on the application of chapter material in the policymaking environment. Every exercise reflects the content of its accompanying chapter; therefore, students should read the chapter, and if specified, focus on certain sections within the chapter prior to completing an exercise or case study. Students may complete all these learning activities, but some instructors may choose only one or two from each chapter that meet the objectives of a particular course. Each learning activity begins with objectives, and many suggest accompanying resource material or additional external resources, and specific instructions.

Nurses and other healthcare professionals are increasingly called upon to engage in the process of policy development and advocate for health policy that will serve the public good. Our hope is that the student workbook will help prepare you for this role by facilitating both your own development of a

beginning policy skill set and a deeper understanding of the health policy environment.