Exploring the Differences Between Regulatory Bodies, Professional Associations, and Trade Unions: An Integrative Review

Who is donating to political parties in Queensland, Australia? An analysis of political donations from the food industry

OBJECTIVE

Australia's dominant food system encourages the overconsumption of foods detrimental for human and planetary health. Despite this, Australia has limited policies to reduce the burden of disease and protect the environment. Political donations from the food industry may contribute to policy inertia on this issue. We aimed to explore the extent of political donations made by the food industry in Queensland and investigate the timing of public health nutrition policies in relation to these donations.

DESIGN

We collected publicly declared political donations data in Queensland, Australia, as it has the most transparent donation records. Policy data were sourced from the Australian National and Queensland State Parliaments, and consultations from the Australian and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation.

SETTING

Queensland, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Not applicable.

RESULTS

The Liberal National Party (LNP) received 68 % of all donations, with most immediately preceding the 2017 and 2020 state elections. The Australian Labor Party, despite forming government for the time period under study, received only 17 % of total donations. Most donations were given by the meat industry, followed by the sugar industry. Few policies exist to protect and improve human and planetary health, with limited associations with political donations for most industries except sugar.

CONCLUSIONS

Industry preference for the LNP, particularly as most donations coincided with election periods, may be due to the party's emphasis on minimal state involvement in economic and social affairs. The relationship between industry donations and policies is not clear, partly due to the limited number of policies implemented overall.

Policy Advocacy and Nursing Organizations: A Scoping Review

Policy advocacy is a fundamental component of nursing's social mandate. While it has become a core function of nursing organizations across the globe, the discourse around advocacy has focused largely on the responsibilities and accountabilities of individual nurses, with little attention to the policy advocacy work undertaken by nursing organizations. To strengthen this critical function, an understanding of the extant literature is needed to identify areas that require further research. We conducted a scoping review to examine the nature, extent, and range of scholarly work focused on nursing organizations and policy advocacy. A systematic search of six databases produced 4,731 papers and 68 were included for analysis and synthesis. Findings suggest that the literature has been increasing over the years, is largely non-empirical, and covers a broad range of topics ranging from the role and purpose of nursing organizations in policy advocacy, the identity of nursing organizations, the development and process of policy advocacy initiatives, the policy advocacy products of nursing organizations, and the impact and evaluation of organizations’ policy advocacy work. Based on the review, we identify several research gaps and propose areas for further research to strengthen the influence and impact of this critical function undertaken by nursing organizations.

Recognizing and mediating bureaucratic barriers: increasing access to care through small private providers in Kenya

Background: Equitable access to health services can be constrained in countries where private practitioners make up a large portion of primary care providers, making affordability a challenge. Expanding purchasing arrangements in many countries has helped integrate private providers into government-supported payment schemes and reduced financial barriers to care. However, private providers often must go through an onerous accreditation process to enroll in government-supported financing arrangements. The difficulties of this process can be exacerbated where health policy is changed often and low-level bureaucrats must navigate these shifts at their own discretion, effectively re-interpreting or re-making policy in practice. This paper analyzes one initiative to increase private provider accreditation with social health insurance (SHI) in Kenya by creating an intermediary between providers and SHI officials. Methods: This paper draws on 126 semi-structured interviews about SHI accreditation experience with private providers who were members of a franchise network in Kenya. It also draws on four focus group discussions conducted with franchise representatives who provided accreditation support to the providers and served as liaisons between the franchised providers and local SHI offices. There was a total of 20 participants across all four focus groups. Results: In a regulatory environment where regulations are weak and impermanent, officials created an accreditation process that was inconsistent and opaque: applying rules unevenly, requesting bribes, and minimizing communication with providers. The support provided by the implementing organizations clarified rules, reduced the power of local bureaucrats to apply regulations at their own discretion, gave providers greater confidence in the system, and helped to standardize the accreditation process. Conclusions: We conclude that intermediary organizations can mitigate institutional weaknesses, reduce barriers to effective care expansion caused by street-level bureaucrats, and facilitate the adoption of systems which reduce rent-seeking practices that might otherwise delay or derail initiatives to reach universal health coverage.

Diplomatic activities of Iranian Nursing Organization: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Nursing organizations play an important role in fulfilling the professional demands of nurses. The Iranian Nursing Organization (INO) is also using diplomatic activities in this direction.

AIM

This study was conducted to explain the diplomatic activities of INO.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. A purposive sampling approach was used. Data were collected via in-depth, unstructured, face-to-face interviews with 21 nurses at various INOs in different cities from March to July 2020. The data collection process continued until data saturation. Interviews were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman's (2004) guidelines. The MAXQDA software (v. 10) was used.

FINDING

The results showed that the diplomatic activities of INO comprise professional (three categories), social (two categories), and diplomacy in power network (two categories).

CONCLUSION

INO carries out diplomatic activities at organizational, national and international levels and pursues its professional nursing goals through diplomacy. INO also uses social diplomacy and political diplomacy to influence decision-makers in the community and network of power.

Charting a Research Agenda for the Advancement of Nursing Organizations’ Influence on Health Systems and Policy

Nursing organizations across Canada play a significant role in influencing and shaping public policy. 2020, the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, is an opportune time not only to support nurses in building policy leadership but also to explore opportunities to better understand and strengthen the policy advocacy work of nursing organizations. Given various social, political, and economic forces, the nature of organized nursing across Canada is changing significantly. We draw on recent key national and global events including our systematic inquiry into Canada’s 2019 federal election, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and the Coronavirus pandemic to examine how Canadian nursing organizations respond in highly complex and evolving contexts. We use our observations to offer a vision and chart a research agenda for the advancement of nursing organizations’ influence on health systems and policy. Specifically, we focus on three key areas including examining nursing organizations’ policy agendas and spheres of influence; nursing organizations’ decision-making around policy advocacy tactics and engagement approaches; and the impact of policy advocacy coalitions and networks on nursing organizations’ influence.

Nursing strike, America, 2019: Concept analysis to guide practice

BACKGROUND

In 2018 a nursing 'sympathy strike' occurred. Although unionized nurses were directed to participate, many expressed questions about what a strike or sympathy strike was. Literature revealed no seminal article to define the term. A concept analysis for the nursing workforce was created.

METHOD

The Hybrid Method of Concept Analysis, (theoretical literature analysis, qualitative stakeholder interviews; applicability) was used. 33 articles and 7 books were reviewed. Nine interviews took place.

RESULTS

The literature and interviews agreed on the definition, antecedents, and consequences of a nursing strike. Strikes in the United States were defined as "a last resort effort, after significant bargaining on the issue between nurses and management has not allowed for agreement, where a work stoppage occurs and nurses leave the bedside." Interviews alone introduced the concept of duty to patients. A model case, contrary case and borderline case are offered.

CONCLUSION

This study contains recommendations for practice.