Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.

Introduction
During the 3rd Inter-Agency Roundtable on Development Communication (FAO,
Rome, 3-6 September 1991) and earlier on many other occasions, it has been
observed that communication specialists spend much effort on development
programmes and projects but not enough on persuading the policy-makers and
decision-makers’ in order to secure their support.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.

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Their support is essential for
shaping development policies and accelerating development actions. It has also
been noted that not enough systematic attempts are made to analyze the
decision-making process and to apply approaches based on audience analysis of
decision-makers in national institutions, UN agencies, donor agencies and NGOs.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.
Additionally, there appeared to be a need to identify andlor develop effective
suategies that can be used to effectively communicate with decision-makers and
enlist their support for development, regardless of the particular issue.
It is important to recognize that decision-makers are often vulnerable to political
change. This makes them a fleeting target. Their political survival may depend
on the results being quick. Therefore, appropriate strategies need to be developed
to reach decision-makers, communicate with them and enlist their support. Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.The
programmes with popular demand that are social and politically viable, financially
feasible and sound in economic terms, and are capable of showing visible and
rapid progress are more likely to be acceptable.
In a period of rapid socio-economic changes within an increasingly interdependent
world, for the purposes of this paper, the concept of development is considered in
a broader context, that is. encompassing political, economic, environmental, social
and human dimensions.

Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development

The role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) today in advocacy for equitable health care and policies for the population has three primary objectives. The first is to provide better population/group service, which makes a significant contribution to the second aim of enhancing patient, population health outcomes (Hain & Fleck, 2014). Furthermore, lower medical expenses to minimize health inequalities in all patient groups with fair healthcare opportunities. Nurse practitioners should advocate for the populations across diverse healthcare environments and empower them to exercise their training and education to the best capacity.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.

There are limitations, however, that the Nurse practitioners are now seeking to address.

Some of the main hurdles and barriers facing APRNs include the state licensing laws with practice restrictions from state differences., While APRNs are highly qualified and qualified to deliver a range of services, hurdles, like federal regulations, state legislation, obsolete systems of insurance payment, and organizational structures and processes, hinder them from doing so (Altman et al., 2016). Additionally, there is recognition and augments from doctors, professional societies, and associations such as the American Medical Association that do not acknowledge that given the aspect of duration, the APRNs will offer reliable quality healthcare and extensive preparation doctors must undergo relative to the APRNs.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.

The decision-making process in policy development. How policy
decisions are made and the mediating/intervening factors that
influence them.
Policy-makers and decision-makers face the challenge of making among alternative
solutions and competing demands as well as providing for the implementation of
decisions made. Therefore, policy and decision-makers may feel the need for a
general conceptual and operational framework. U
Every policy decision seems to go through a so-called ‘policy life cycle’ in which
Sour phases can be identified: (i) recognizing the problem; (ii) gaining control over
the problem; (iii) solving the problem; and (iv) maintaining control over the
problem (see Box 2)
It is important to recognize that decision-makers will only be willing to make a
decision or change a policy under a number of conditions: (1) when they consider
the issue economically or politically viable; (2) when there is enough public
pressure or support; and (3) when there is strong supportive evidence.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.

Critical Points for Consideration
1. Advocacy
(i) Advocacy with decision-makers is to gain political commitment and policy
support for health and development actions.
(ii) However, there is no consensus on a definition of advocacy or the process
of advocating.
(iii) One can distinguish between (a) advocacy for policy design and decisionmaking; and (b) advocacy for policy implementation.Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.
2. How to reach decision-makers: Channels of influence
Decision-makers can be reached through one or a mix of two or more of the
following channels;
through efficient advisers
through the media
through legislators and community representatives
through community action
through local organizations and pressure groups
through outstandinglinfluential leaders and personalities
through social movements
through alliance building with stakeholders. Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.
3. Basic requirements for decision-making
(i) Political access and networks
(ii) Availability and control over information
(iii) Expertise and knowledge
(iv) Assessed stature in political and organizational hierarchy
(V) Group or community support
(vi) Favourable cultural environment. Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.
4. Essential conditions for effective advocacy with decision-makers
(i) Pertinence of the development issue/social problem and on
understanding of the key intersectoral linkages;
(ii) Collection and dissemination of important facts and figures to
concerned groups of policy-makers, decision-makers, and pressure
groups, as well as to the media;
(iii) Development of a systematic and comprehensive communication
strategy and social networking with an understanding of the political
and cultural context:
(iv) Involvement of media, concerned organizations and professional
groups; and
(v) Generating public awareness and demand. Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.
5. Towards effective communication for advocacy purposes
(i) Carefully plan the advocacy strategy with the involvement of potential uses
and target audiences.
(ii) Identify and involve the relevant stakeholder groups in creating and shaping
the message.
(iii) “Tailor the content and form of the message” to the specific stakeholder
groups.
(iv) Develop a mechanism for generating interest and the participation of people
in sharing and creating knowledge.
(V) Fit the communication forms and channels into the national and local
media-landscape; use the traditional media and both formal and informal
channels (e.g. face-to-face dissemination)
(vi) Involve people in the dissemination process. They know, for instance,
where to display posters, who are influential people speak with, and how
to get things done (cheaply). They know! Using Research to Support Health Policy, Advocacy and Policy Development.