Examination of factors influencing development of health care policy and programs in a state health department

This research examined the comparative perceptions of professional nurse and a selected group of other health care professionals relative to the importance of key factors identified as influencing development and implementation of health care policy and programs. Any difference in perception could be significant and influence choices made among alternatives during the process of making decisions. With the change of emphasis of the current administration in Washington and shifts of responsibility to the states, health program policy and planning becomes a provocative issue. Maximization of resources through deliberate planning efforts is essential as in utilization of professional judgment and expertise of a broad range of health care professionals. The extent of nurses' involvement in this process is unknown but crucial because of the patient advocacy perspective nurses have that few others involved in health care policy decision making demonstrate. The effort to show nurse to be equally knowledgeable and comparable to other health care professionals in considering the importance of key factors influencing health care policy development should serve as a consideration to further the involvement of nurses in this vital health care process.