Abstract
Background: There have been significant advancements in health care and science over the last century. However, these changes have not adequately addressed child health needs. Children have increasing health care needs associated with rising rates of mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and violence-related injuries.1 Further, health care reform has almost exclusively focused on adult populations and cannot be adapted to pediatric populations.2 Over a three-year period, two committees were convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to examine opportunities for innovation within policy and the health care system to improve child health and well-being. The committees evaluated evidence on pediatric health care, heard from child health experts, and wrote reports on the state of the science with recommended strategies and actions to meet child health care and mental health care needs.
Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to disseminate the findings and recommendations from these NASEM reports, focusing on nurse-led opportunities for innovation in health care delivery to improve child health and well-being.2,3
Findings: Investments in child health offer a lifetime of return on the investment,4 and numerous well-studied innovations have the potential to significantly improve child health and well-being.2,3 A more diverse pediatric workforce is essential to addressing inequities in child health outcomes.3 Greater use of community-based resources, including schools and public health partners, and inclusion of families in care can support needed health care system change.2,3 In addition, financial investments in the workforce and payment reform can support pediatric health care transformation.2,3
Implications for Nursing: This presentation will discuss the connections between these two reports, with a focus on the specific implications for nurses. Child health outcomes can be improved by nurse-led care transformations that address the social drivers of health.2,3,5 The transition to competency-based programs supports novel pathways to pediatric nursing careers.3 Nursing leaders are well positioned to engage in dissemination of report findings and policymaking informed by report findings that advance child health.6 All nurses, not just pediatric nurses, are stakeholders in the child health. This presentation will emphasize opportunities for all nurses to support the future health of the population.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Iota at-Large, Delta Theta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Interprofessional Initiatives, Policy and Advocacy, Workforce, Leadership, Workforce Planning and Development, Child Health Care
Recommended Citation
Gigli, Kristin Hittle and Bowman, Ashleigh F., "Policy Engagement and Advocacy to Transform Child Health Care Delivery and Improve Child Health" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 38.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/38
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-19
Policy Engagement and Advocacy to Transform Child Health Care Delivery and Improve Child Health
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: There have been significant advancements in health care and science over the last century. However, these changes have not adequately addressed child health needs. Children have increasing health care needs associated with rising rates of mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and violence-related injuries.1 Further, health care reform has almost exclusively focused on adult populations and cannot be adapted to pediatric populations.2 Over a three-year period, two committees were convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to examine opportunities for innovation within policy and the health care system to improve child health and well-being. The committees evaluated evidence on pediatric health care, heard from child health experts, and wrote reports on the state of the science with recommended strategies and actions to meet child health care and mental health care needs.
Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to disseminate the findings and recommendations from these NASEM reports, focusing on nurse-led opportunities for innovation in health care delivery to improve child health and well-being.2,3
Findings: Investments in child health offer a lifetime of return on the investment,4 and numerous well-studied innovations have the potential to significantly improve child health and well-being.2,3 A more diverse pediatric workforce is essential to addressing inequities in child health outcomes.3 Greater use of community-based resources, including schools and public health partners, and inclusion of families in care can support needed health care system change.2,3 In addition, financial investments in the workforce and payment reform can support pediatric health care transformation.2,3
Implications for Nursing: This presentation will discuss the connections between these two reports, with a focus on the specific implications for nurses. Child health outcomes can be improved by nurse-led care transformations that address the social drivers of health.2,3,5 The transition to competency-based programs supports novel pathways to pediatric nursing careers.3 Nursing leaders are well positioned to engage in dissemination of report findings and policymaking informed by report findings that advance child health.6 All nurses, not just pediatric nurses, are stakeholders in the child health. This presentation will emphasize opportunities for all nurses to support the future health of the population.
Description
Despite rapid growth and innovation in the last century, the health care system has not evolved to meet critical challenges to child health. This presentation discusses the findings of two recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reports addressing the need for health care system change to improve child health and wellbeing. Nurses who contributed to these reports will highlight opportunities for nurse-led practice change and advocacy to better meet child health needs.