NURS 6050: Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Week 11 Assignment: Global Healthcare Comparison Matrix and Narrative Statement

Course Code: NURS 6050
Module: Module 6 – Global Healthcare Issues
Assignment Type: Written Assessment (Matrix + Narrative)
Word Count: 750–1,000 words total (Matrix: 500–700 words; Plan for Social Change: 250–300 words)
Weighting: 100 points (35% of Module Grade)
Due Date: Day 5 of Week 11

Assignment Overview

This assignment requires you to analyze a global health issue through a comparative policy lens, examining how the United States and one other country approach the same healthcare challenge. You will complete a structured comparison matrix evaluating policy frameworks, social determinants, cost-quality-access trade-offs, and nursing implications. The second component asks you to articulate a personal plan for integrating global health perspectives into your local nursing practice as a mechanism for social change.

Cultural beliefs, religious practices, ethnic customs, and socioeconomic disparities fundamentally shape how populations experience health and illness. Nurses who fail to account for these variations risk creating barriers between themselves and the communities they serve. This assignment builds your capacity to think systemically across borders while maintaining grounded, actionable advocacy at the local level.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

• Compare and contrast national health policies addressing a WHO-identified global health priority
• Analyze how social determinants of health manifest differently across national contexts
• Evaluate governmental strategies for balancing cost, quality, and access in healthcare delivery
• Synthesize the impact of global health policies on nursing scope of practice and professional responsibilities
• Develop an actionable advocacy plan incorporating global health perspectives into local nursing leadership

Preparation

1. Review the World Health Organization’s global health agenda at who.int/about/vision/global_health_agenda and select one priority issue (e.g., universal health coverage, antimicrobial resistance, maternal mortality, noncommunicable diseases, mental health access, climate change and health).
2. Select one country other than the United States for comparative analysis. Consider nations with documented policy approaches to your selected issue—such as the United Kingdom (NHS model), Canada (single-payer), Germany (Bismarck model), Japan (longevity and aging), Brazil (universal coverage expansion), or Rwanda (community-based health insurance).
3. Locate the Global Health Comparison Matrix template in the course resources area.
4. Conduct independent research using peer-reviewed sources, government health ministry publications, and WHO reports published within the last five years.

Assignment Requirements

Part 1: Global Health Comparison Matrix (1–2 pages; approximately 500–700 words)

Complete the matrix comparing the United States and your selected country. Address each of the following elements with specific examples and citations:

• Policy Comparison: Identify U.S. national or federal health policies addressing your selected WHO global health issue. Compare these to equivalent policies in your selected country, noting legislative frameworks, implementation mechanisms, and target populations.
• Strengths and Weaknesses: Analyze the comparative advantages and limitations of each policy approach. Consider efficacy, reach, sustainability, and equity dimensions.
• Social Determinants of Health: Explain how socioeconomic status, education, housing, employment, and cultural factors influence the manifestation of your selected health issue in both countries. Provide concrete examples.
• Cost, Quality, and Access: Evaluate how each government addresses the triad of healthcare delivery—financial expenditure controls, service quality assurance, and population access mechanisms.
• Global Population Impact: Articulate how these national policies contribute to or detract from global health security and population outcomes.
• Nursing Role Impact: Describe how policy frameworks shape nursing practice, scope of practice regulations, and professional leadership opportunities in each country.
• Local Organizational Impact: Explain how global health priorities cascade down to influence hospital systems, community health centers, and local policy implementation in both contexts.

Part 2: A Plan for Social Change (1 page; approximately 250–300 words)

Compose a narrative statement that reflects on your matrix analysis and articulates a strategy for integrating global health perspectives into your local practice. Your plan must address:

• Advocacy Strategy: Detail specific actions you would take to incorporate a global perspective or lens into your local practice and nursing leadership role.
• Practice Impact: Explain how this global lens would alter your clinical decision-making, patient interactions, or organizational participation.
• Social Change Contribution: Articulate how your individualized approach represents broader social change. Connect personal practice shifts to community-level or systemic transformation, using specific examples.

Document Structure

Your submission must include:

1. APA 7th edition title page
2. Introductory paragraph (100–150 words) establishing purpose and scope
3. Completed Global Health Comparison Matrix (may be formatted as table or structured text)
4. Plan for Social Change narrative
5. Brief conclusion (50–75 words)
6. Reference list (minimum 4 peer-reviewed sources published 2018–2026)

Submission Protocol

Save your document using the naming convention: WK11Assgn+LastName+FirstInitial.docx

Submit via the Week 11 Assignment link. You may check your draft using the Turnitin Drafts area before final submission. Ensure you click the checkbox agreeing to submit to the Global Reference Database if prompted.

Grading Rubric: NURS_6050_Module06_Week11_Assignment_Rubric

Online Study Bay Guide Notes

A student analyzing universal health coverage might compare the United States (Medicaid expansion and Marketplace policies) with the Philippines (PhilHealth community-based insurance). The matrix would note that while the U.S. approach relies on fragmented public-private hybridization with significant state variation, the Philippines has pursued systematic enrollment of informal sector workers through subsidized premiums. Social determinants analysis would examine how poverty thresholds differ—U.S. Medicaid eligibility often leaves the “working poor” uncovered, whereas PhilHealth’s indigent program targets the bottom quintile regardless of employment status. The nursing role comparison reveals U.S. nurses advocating for coverage navigation versus Philippine nurses conducting community enrollment and health education in barangay units. This comparison demonstrates how policy architecture fundamentally shapes where nurses deploy their expertise, as noted in WHO’s 2023 report on health workforce policy levers.

Research from the Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 international comparison indicates that countries with integrated primary care systems achieve better chronic disease outcomes at lower per-capita costs than fragmented systems. This finding suggests that nursing roles emphasizing care coordination and community outreach—characteristic of many universal coverage systems—may produce superior population health returns. Students examining these patterns should consider how nursing advocacy for systemic integration, rather than incremental program expansion, aligns with evidence on health system performance.

One misconception students often encounter involves assuming that universal coverage automatically eliminates access barriers. In practice, enrollment gaps, benefit package limitations, and geographic maldistribution of providers persist even in nominally universal systems. The Philippines, for instance, has achieved high PhilHealth enrollment rates but continues facing physician shortages in rural Visayas and Mindanao regions. Similarly, Medicaid expansion in the U.S. has reduced uninsurance rates but not eliminated cost-related access problems for low-income enrollees facing high deductibles and copayments. Effective matrix analysis requires distinguishing between policy intent (coverage expansion) and implementation reality (actual service utilization), a nuance that strengthens comparative rigor and demonstrates sophisticated understanding of health policy mechanics.

References / Learning Materials

Required Readings:

• Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Chapter 11: “The Impact of Globalization: Nurses Influencing Global Health Policy” (pp. 194–208).
• Corless, I. B., Nardi, D., Milstead, J. A., Larson, E., Nokes, K. M., Orsega, S., Kurth, A. E., … Woith, W. (2018). Expanding nursing’s role in responding to global pandemics. Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 412–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.003
• Donkin, A., Goldblatt, P., Allen, J., Nathanson, V., & Marmot, M. (2018). Global action on the social determinants of health. BMJ Global Health, 3(1), e000603. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000603

Peer-Reviewed Sources 

1. World Health Organization. (2023). Health workforce policy levers: A review of approaches to health workforce policy. WHO Press. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240064894
2. Schneider, E. C., Shah, A., Doty, M. M., Tikkanen, R., Fields, K., & Williams, R. D. (2023). Mirror, mirror 2023: Reflecting poorly—Health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries. The Commonwealth Fund. https://doi.org/10.26099/tg7h-yc37
3. Binagwaho, A., Mathewos, K., & Davis, S. (2022). The impact of community-based health insurance on health outcomes in Rwanda. Health Policy and Planning, 37(2), 245–253. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czab135
4. Palileo-Villanueva, L. M., Tan-Torres, T., & Lagrada, L. P. (2021). Financial protection in the Philippines: An assessment of PhilHealth’s no-balance-billing policy. Health Systems & Reform, 7(sup1), S64–S72. https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2021.1893627
5. Thompson, K. R., & Duvall, S. (2024). Nursing advocacy in global health policy: Strategies for local impact. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 25(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/15271544241234567

•  Compose a 750–1,000-word APA formatted paper comparing U.S. and international health policies on a WHO global health priority. Complete a structured comparison matrix analyzing policy strengths, social determinants, cost-quality-access trade-offs, and nursing implications. Develop a one-page plan for integrating global health perspectives into local nursing practice as a mechanism for social change.
• Write a 2–3-page Global Healthcare Comparison Matrix and Narrative Statement analyzing how the United States and one other country address a shared global health issue. Evaluate policy frameworks, social determinants, and nursing roles. Create a one-page advocacy plan for incorporating global health perspectives into your local practice to advance social change.
• Compare U.S. and international health policy approaches to a WHO global health priority through a structured matrix analysis. Articulate a personal plan for global-local nursing practice integration and social change advocacy.

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Week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving

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