Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care

Theresa Fyffe, Director, RCN Scotland

A number of years ago I had the opportunity to take a Florence Nightingale fellowship in the United States. My study tour plan had been greatly informed by the book Policy and Politics in nursing and healthcare. This book stimulated my already growing interest in how nursing as a profession could be more influential from a policy and political perspective, in improving outcomes for patients and their families.

Review

The first edition of this book was published in 1985 and became very quickly a must read book for all nurses at senior leadership level within the profession. While the book outlines how senior nurses addressed this issue in the political context of the United States, there are common lessons that can be applied to other nurse leaders in countries across the world. It is notable that the book is now in its fifth edition and as the authors say “a lot has happened” since they first published in 1985. The authors seek to demonstrate the value of nursing to the nation’s health and do so by providing individual stories that illustrate political and policy concepts.

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