Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care
- 9th Edition - February 19, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editors: Diana J. Mason, Elizabeth Dickson, Adriana Perez, Monica R. McLemore
- Language: English
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Contributors are Nursing Who's Who in healthcare policy, sharing information and personal perspectives gained in the crafting of healthcare policy. Readers are given the most reliable and immediate views of healthcare policy and its political environs.
Readers develop a broader understanding of nursing leadership and political activism, as well as the complex business and financial issues that drive many actions in the health system.
In Taking Action essays, nurses active in setting policy relay personal accounts of how they came to be active in politics and what they have accomplished. Readers are encouraged to fulfill nursing's role in the determination of healthcare policy and learn how to be effective as policymakers.
Key Points Where appropriate, chapters end with a brief, bulleted summary of the most salient lessons contained in the text. Readers can quickly review and refresh their memory of each chapter.
Draft Table of Contents—Authors to submit ToC end of 2022
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO POLICY AND POLITICS IN NURSING AND HEALTH CARE
1.Frameworks for Action in Policy and Politics
2.A Historical Perspective on Policy, Politics and Nursing
3.Advocacy in Nursing and Health Care
4.Learning the Ropes of Policy and Politics
5.TAKING ACTION: Just Say Yes: Learning to Move Beyond the Fear
6.A Primer on Political Philosophy
7.The Policy Process
8.Political Analysis and Strategies
9.Communication and Conflict Management in Health Policy
10.Research as a Political and Policy Tool
11.Using Research to Advance Health and Social Policies for Children
12.Using the Power of the Media to Influence Health Policy and Politics
13.TAKING ACTION: How A Social Media Campaign and Billboards Can Influence Policy
14.Health Policy, Politics, and Professional Ethics
UNIT 2: HEALTH CARE DELIVERY AND FINANCING
15.The Changing United States Health Care System
16.A Primer on Health Economics of Nursing and Health Policy
17.Financing Health Care in the United States
18.The Affordable Care Act: An Uncertain Future
19.The National Association of Hispanic Nurses Educating Multicultural Communities on the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act
20.Patient Engagement and Public Policy: Emerging New Paradigms and Roles
21.The Marinated Mind: Why Overuse Is an Epidemic and How to Reduce It
22.Policy Approaches to Address Health Disparities
23.TAKING ACTION: Policy Advocacy for American Indian/Alaska Native Children: School Nutrition and the Need for Indigenous Food Sovereignty
24.TAKING ACTION: Addressing the Health Needs of Immigrant/Migrant Farmworkers
25.The Unfulfilled Promise of Mental Health and Addiction Parity
26.Improving LGBTQ+ Health: Nursing Policy Can Make a Difference
27.Reproductive Health Policy
28.Public and Population Health: Promoting the Health of the Public
29.TAKING ACTION: Influencing Public Health in a Politically Charged Environment
30.The Politics and Policy of Disaster Response and Public Health Emergency Preparedness
31.Advancing New Models of Primary Care
32.Family Caregiving and Social Policy
33.Dual Eligibles: Challenges and Innovations in Care
34.HOMECARE, HOSPICE AND COMMUNITY BASED CARE: EVOLVING POLICY
35.Long-Term Services and Supports Policy Issues
36.The United States Military and Veterans Administration Health Systems: Contemporary Overview and Policy Challenges
UNIT 3: POLICY AND POLITICS IN THE GOVERNMENT
37.Contemporary Issues in Government
38.How Government Works: What You Need to Know to Influence the Process
39.An Overview of Legislative and Regulatory Processes
40.Lobbying Policymakers: Individual and Collective Strategies
41.Political Activity: Different Rules for Government-Employees
42.TAKING ACTION: Reflective Musings from a Nurse Politician!
43.TAKING ACTION: Running Against the Odds: There’s a Nurse in the Assembly
44.Political Appointments
45.Nursing and the Courts
46.Nursing Licensure and Regulations
47.TAKING ACTION: Nurse, Educator, and Legislator: My Journey to the Delaware General Assembly and as Lieutenant Governor
UNIT 4: POLICY AND POLITICS IN THE WORKPLACE AND WORKFORCE
48.Policy and Politics in Health Care Organizations
49.Taking Your Place at the Table: Board Appointments and Service
50.TAKING ACTION: Nurse Leaders in the Boardroom
51.Quality and Safety in Healthcare: Policy Issues
52.Politics and Evidence-Based Practice and Policy
53.The Nursing Workforce
54.Rural Health Care: Workforce Challenges and Opportunities
55.TAKING ACTION: Increasing Specialty Medical Care ACCESS in Rural Communities
56.Nurse Staffing Ratios: Policy Options
57.The Contemporary Work Environment of Nursing
58.Taking Action: Racism in the Workplace
59.Collective Strategies for Transformation in the Workplace
60.Political Context of Advanced Practice Nursing
61.TAKING ACTION: Never Underestimate the Power of a Personal Story!
62.TAKING ACTION: Removing APRN Regulatory Barriers in West Virginia
63.TAKING ACTION: Full Practice Authority: A Tale of Two States
64.Policy and Politics in Nursing Academia
65.The Intersection of Technology and Health Care: Policy and Practice Implications
UNIT 5: POLICY AND POLITICS IN ASSOCIATIONS AND INTEREST GROUPS
66.Interest Group in Health Care Policy and Politics
67.Policy Issues in Nursing Associations
68.TAKING ACTION: School Nursing at the Intersection of Health and Education
69.TAKING ACTION: The Alliance of Nursing for Healthy Environments Promoting Environmental Health
70.Coalitions: A Powerful Political Strategy
71.TAKING ACTION: Campaign For Action
72.TAKING ACTION: Why Not Minot? The battle over North Dakota's first smoke-free ordinance
UNIT 6: POLICY AND POLITICS IN THE COMMUNITY
73.Where Policy Hits the Pavement: Contemporary Issues In Communities
74.An Introduction to Community Activism
75.TAKING ACTION: From Sewage Problems to the State House: Serving Communities
76.TAKING ACTION: Contaminated Water and Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Flint
77.Creating Culture of Health and working with communities
78.TAKING ACTION: Activism: A Community Rises
79.Family and Sexual Violence: Nursing and U.S. Policy
80.Human Trafficking: The Need for Nursing Advocacy
81.TAKING ACTION: Policy, Politics, and Advocating for Medicinal Cannabis Use
82.Think Globally, Act Locally: Nursing and Global Health
83.Infectious Disease in a Highly Connected World: Nurses' Role to Prevent, Detect, Respond
- Edition: 9
- Latest edition
- Published: November 12, 2026
- Language: English
DM
Diana J. Mason
ED
Elizabeth Dickson
AP
Adriana Perez
MM