NURSING THE ECONOMY BACK TO HEALTH
THE JOHN HOPKINS NURSING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE MODEL AS A FRAMEWORK FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Tristan Cartmel
Achieving economic growth requires the management of a complicated balance of economic , social and environmental commitments . The COVID-19 outbreak has brought about new challenges and changed the paradigms that have been in place in recent years ( Martinho , 2021 ). As anyone who has tried to plan a holiday after January 2020 would know , the pandemic has had little regard for even the most contemplated plans , forcing decisions to be re-assessed and changed almost as soon as they are made . All forms of planning have been extremely difficult . This has certainly been the case in Australia – following decades of stable , and predictable economic growth , economic development practitioners have been faced with responding to the turmoil of fluctuating trends and unpredictable economic impacts on a wide-spread basis .
The pandemic has challenged many different notions and seen both industry and Government at all levels pivot and develop creative strategies with the tools at their disposal . As it is near impossible to predict when there might be some sense of routine and normality , economic development practitioners must continue to be agile and able to respond in a rapidly changing environment . An evidence-based practice model , based on the frameworks developed in the medical profession , may prove to be a key tool for the development of economic policy that is able to incorporate the most up-to-date research and findings into practice .
Whilst numerous ‘ evidence-based practice ’ models exist , an assessment of these models is beyond the scope of this article which will focus primarily on the John Hopkins Nursing EBP Model ( Dang et al ., 2018 ) as a theoretical guide for economic development professionals in a rapidly changing landscape . This paper uses this model that emerged from the nursing profession to draw links to the work of economic development practitioners . This evidence-based practice model may provide economic development practitioners with a strategic framework for responding in situations of complexity and ambiguity .
THE DISRUPTION OF COVID-19 According to the World Health Organisation ( 2020 ), Nurses play a critical role in the health system , as they are often the first to detect health emergencies , and work on the front lines in the delivery of primary health care . They are generally the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see , and as such the quality of their initial assessment , care and treatment is vital ( WHO , 2020 ). This description invites
comparison with the role of local economic development practitioners in the context of the economic response , as they too , like the nurses in the health system , play a key part in the delivery of many of the frontline services within the local economy .
The role of local economic development services in responding to a shifting economic landscape has been particularly evident following the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ). Social distancing measures required business , schools and communities to close down , with lockdown measures imposed in many countries in an attempt to reduce the pressure on medical services – or to “ flatten the curve ” ( Brodeur et al ., 2021 ). The pandemic has led to significant health , social and economic challenges on a global scale , for which the long-term impacts and permanent changes remain to be seen .
Nurses are afforded the ability to shape and deliver effective interventions to meet the needs of patients , families and communities , due to the fact that they too are members of these local communities - sharing its culture , strengths and vulnerabilities ( WHO , 2020 ). This represents another parallel between nurses and local economic development practitioners , who are also well positioned to identify and respond to
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