Nursing Organization: The American Academy of Nursing (AAN)

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August 26, 2024

Nursing Organization: The American Academy of Nursing (AAN)

1. What is the stated mission of the organization? Please reflect and write on this mission as it relates to health policy.

The stated mission of the AAN is to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science (AAN, 2024). Over the years, the AAN has impacted health policy through a range of mechanisms, including sending letters to the federal government, drafting of position statements, hosting of policy debates, and engaging with lawmakers, among other mechanisms. For instance, in pursuit of its mission, the AAN, in July this year, collaborated with 107 other healthcare organizations to send a letter to Representatives Magaziner (Rhode Island) and Cammack (Florida), as well as senators Capito (West Virginia) and Markey (Massachusetts) outlining its support for Act H.R8018/S.3109 - Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act. The Act seeks to reduce burdens faced by caregivers in accessing social security programs, CHI, Medicaid, and Medicare (AAN, 2024b).

2. What specific nursing/health issues are important to this organization and why? (Choose those that you wish to highlight do not need to cover all)

Issues that have been of particular importance to the association this year include abortion care, firearm safety, and sexual and reproductive health. In April, the academy published a position statement addressed to the Supreme Court asking the court to uphold EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) protections for abortion care in cases where abortion is a lifesaving intervention, including in states that restrict or ban abortion (AAN, 2024c). The AANs position is that pregnancy-related complications may arise requiring emergency care (AAN, 2024c). In such emergency situations, terminating the pregnancy may be the only way to stabilize or treat the patient. It is prudent that EMTALA protections...

On 13th August, the AAN was part of an amicus brief sent to the Montana Supreme Court to petition the court to overturn state legislation that restricts abortion. The academy joined in a similar brief in March, 2024 challenging Idahos state law that bans abortion from EMTALA protections.

On the issue of firearm safety, the AAN has vocally supported policies geared at eliminating firearm violence. The association believes that such policies are important in safeguarding the nations health given the rise in incidents of mass shooting and firearm-related suicide (AAN, 2024). The academys position is that there is a need to invest in evidence-based research to identify at-risk populations and innovative interventions for reducing firearm-related injury and death. In 2022, the academy published a statement on Firearm Safety (link...

…opportunities to attend AAN health policy dialogues and conferences, get appointed to the academys national advisory council, and participate in Expert Panels to support the academys policy recommendations (AAN, 2024). The AAN Fellowship activities expose participants to a wide range of evidence-based research, the process of health policy development, and the different actions that nurses could use to influence health policy.

5. What work is the organization engaged in to address policy issues around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare?

The academy recognizes that AI has continued to evolve and is currently used in different ways in the healthcare sphere. Presently, AI is used in disease diagnosis, prediction of health outcomes, and recommendation of patient treatments. The AANs position is that while AI has the potential to increase efficiency in healthcare delivery, it equally has the potential to cause huge disruptions, including compromising patient privacy, safety, and exacerbating inequities (AAN, 2024d). Through its NAM Fellows, the AAN is currently developing an AI Code of Conduct that will guide the decisions of nurses in their interaction with AI. In May this year, the academy, through NAM, submitted the first draft of the AI Code of Conduct and Principles to the Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct Steering Committee to initiate deliberations. The academy is working on more comment and sign-on letters addressed to different stakeholders in a bid to support…