Facilitators to nurses’ involvement in policy development: ‘. . .
we give them the feedback . . .’
Bottom-up approach
Nurses suggested that they be consulted on issues related to their
workplace to ensure participation in the policy development
process. Frontline nurses and managers participated in the policymaking
process when they were consulted: ‘Persons were
invited to a workshop. . . . We sat in groups and suggested what
we think ought to be in this policy and then we worked from
there’ (JI#1).
A nurse from Kenya suggested a ‘bottom up approach whereby
those who are developing the policies came down on the ground
[to meet with those] who are providing the services [to] look at
the gaps – the challenges we are having’ (KI#14). Mechanisms to
ensure that nurses’ feedback reached the policy decision-makers
at the national level were recommended: ‘. . . we are the practicing
nurses and we know what we go through so in these meetings
we give them the feedback and the feedback is taken up to the
people at the national level who are laying down the guidelines
for any amendments’ (UI#1). National policies were important
but frontline nurses needed to ‘give it a local flavor’ to fit their
context. Policies were usually filtered down to the organizational
level through national and international guidelines. They mentioned
that local workplace policies are guided by and built on
the national policies. A Jamaican nurse said: ‘. . . we’re using the
national policy as a guide and you modify it to suit the region’
(JI#1).
Management support: ‘They cascade the information down’
Participants recommended a strategic plan and management
system to ensure that the policies were in place and followed.
Participants agreed that managers played an important role
to ensure that policies were appropriately implemented and
supervised. Leadership and guidance from nursing management
helped within the implementation process and to keep staff
informed. They also ensured that policies were monitored and
revised if needed. A South African nurse manager believed
that: ‘. . . they [frontline staff] are not actively involved in policy
making but they are informed, trained and they [nurse managers]
cascade the information down and see that the policies are
implemented. Our major role is monitoring if the policy is well
implemented, if there are any obstacles regarding the policy
which needs to be revised . . .’ (SA#4).
Human resource support: ‘. . . we have to be giving risk allowance . . .’
Participating nurses mentioned that policies that provided moral
support for HIV-positive nurses who fear job instability were
essential. It would contribute to and assist with creating a positive
workforce. Nurses requested some leniency in their duties: ‘I
want to believe that if such a policy could be there then there
should be no discrimination for those [nurses] who are HIV
positive so that there should be some consideration for them’
(KI#14). Compensation in the form of incentives was mentioned
as a form of motivation to care for AIDS patients. Incentives
should include risk allowance and other forms of compensation
(allocated sick days) during the period of post-exposure prophylaxis
use: ‘some allowance during the period that you are taking
PEP because even the side effects are not so pleasant so you
might absent yourself from duty’ (KI#1).