Running head: E-FOLIO ESSENTIAL V 1

E-folio- Essential V
Soibah K. Jalloh
Frostburg State University







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E-Folio- Essential V
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essential for this E-Folio
assignment is Essential V- Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments. Healthcare
policies and regulations are getting stricter by the minutes. Facilities are striving for high quality
patient care and preventing readmission for same medical diagnosis because Medicare/Medicaid
and insurances have even more uncompromising rules when it comes to reimbursement.
Healthcare policy shapes the nature, quality, and safety of the practice environment and all
professional nurses have the responsibility to participate in the political process and advocate for
patients, families, communities, the nursing profession, and changes in the healthcare system as
needed. Advocacy for vulnerable populations with the goal of promoting social justice is
recognized as moral and ethical responsibilities of the nurse (AACN, 2008).
Exemplar
During the course of Ethics in Contemporary Nursing, we were given a list of topics of
ethical dilemmas and asked to select one and write an article about our view point. The
controversial topic that I selected was stem cell research. It is unquestionable the many potential
stem cells hold in different areas of health and medical research, and it is only reasonable for us
to explore the many potentials it hold to treat and cure some of the most serious medical
conditions such as Parkinsons disease, cancer and so much more. But the research on human
embryonic stem cells has generated lots of controversies and political debates. As science and
technology continue to advance, so does ethical viewpoints surrounding these developments. The
main ethical theories used are utilitarianism and deontological ethics (Jain, 2002). Although
much more research is needed to assess the safety and improve the efficacy of stem cells, I
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believe that we should tackle these issues as they come and advance forward into exploring
regenerative properties of stem cells. It is our responsibility as nurses to advocate for our patients
and give them all the treatment options that are available so they can make informed decisions.
Reflection
The fundamental focus of Essential V is to ensure that baccalaureate prepared nurses understand
healthcare policy and procedures that are in place to ensure safe, quality patient care being
delivered. According to essential V, the graduate nurse should be able to describe state
and national statutes, rules, and regulations that authorize and define professional
nursing practice; explore the impact of socio-cultural, economic, legal, and political factors
influencing healthcare delivery and practice; examine the roles and responsibilities of
the regulatory agencies and their effect on patient care quality, workplace safety,
and the scope of nursing and other health professionals practice (AACN, 2008).








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References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education
for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from:
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education/pdf/BaccEssentials08.pdf
Jain, KK (2002). Ethical and regulatory aspects of embryonic stem cell research. Expert opinion
on biological therapy 2 (8): 819-26. doi:10.1517/14712598.2.8.819.PMID 12517261.





Stem Cell Research Controversy
Soibah K. Jalloh
Frostburg State University






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The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research
Introduction
With so many sickness/diseases on the rise and they are becoming more and more
untreatable, researchers have found a promising treatments and possible cures for many
debilitating diseases and injuries such as Alzheimers diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns,
heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists discovered ways to
derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos over 30 years ago, in 1981. In 2006,
researchers made another breakthrough by identifying conditions that would allow some
specialized adult cells to be reprogrammed genetically to assume a stem cell-like state.
(NIH.gov, 2002) All stem cellsregardless of their sourcehave three general properties: they
are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and
they can give rise to specialized cell types. Human embryonic and adult stem cells each have
advantages and disadvantages regarding potential use for cell-based regenerative therapies. One
major difference between adult and embryonic stem cells is their different abilities in the number
and type of differentiated cell types they can become. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell
types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are thought to be limited to
differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin. Embryonic stem cells can be
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grown relatively easily in culture. Adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues, so isolating these
cells from an adult tissue is challenging, and methods to expand their numbers in cell
culture have not yet been worked out. This is an important distinction, as large numbers of cells
are needed for stem cell replacement therapies. (NIH.gov, 2002)
Ethical Dilemmas and Alternatives to Stem cell Research
It is unquestionable the many potential stem cells holds in different areas of health and
medical research, and it is only reasonable for us to explore the many potentials it holds to treat
and cure some of the most serious medical conditions such as Parkinsons disease, cancer and so
much more. But the research on human embryonic stem cells has generated lots of controversies
and political debates. As science and technology continue to advance, so do ethical viewpoints
surrounding these developments. The main ethical theories used are utilitarianism and
deontological ethics. It is important to educate and explore the issues, scientifically and
ethically. (Jain, 2002) Most embryonic stem cells are taken from embryos that develop from eggs
that have been fertilized in vitro fertilization then donated for research purposes with informed
consent of the donors. (NIH.gov) Another form of obtaining embryonic stem cells is from
aborted fetus. If the people in legal guardianship of the aborted fetus give consent for the fetus to
be used for stem cell research and advancement of medical science, why the stem cell shouldnt
be used for research purposes as opposed to being thrown out? Pro-lifers believe that the
researches of these stem cells are obtained by killing of a living human embryo. This in fact is
not true. Not all stem cell research involves the creation, use, or destruction of human embryos.
For example, adult stem cells, amniotic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells do not
involve human embryos. As previously stated, embryonic stem cells are obtained from in vitro
fertilization and aborted fetus that could otherwise goes to waste instead of aiding in cure of the
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very sick individuals who desperate need treatments and to put end to their suffering. Pro-life
supporters often claim that the use of adult stem cells from sources such as umbilical cord blood
has consistently produced more promising results than the use of embryonic stem cells.
(NIH.gov, 2002) The fact is, the use of adult stem cells and tissues derived from the patients
own adult stem cells would mean that the cells are less likely to be rejected by the immune
system; but adult stem cells have limitation to differentiate into different cell types of their tissue
of origin. (NIH.gov, 2002) A better understanding of normal cell development will allow us to
understand and perhaps correct the errors that cause these medical conditions.
Current Federal Policy on Stem Cell Research
The NIH believes the potential medical benefits of human pluripotent stem cell
technology are compelling and worthy of pursuit in accordance with appropriate ethical
standards. It is noted that former President George W. Bush permitted federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) only if the stem cells were obtained from a limited number
of previously existing stem cell lines. In 2009, President Barack Obama issued an executive
order expanding the opportunities for federally funded ESCR by permitting the use of embryonic
stem cells other than those obtained from the previously designated stem cell lines. However,
legislation to protect this expansion in research opportunities has never been signed into law,
which gives future administrations the discretion to curtail or eliminate federally funded stem
cell research. (Current Regulation of Human ESCR, 2005)
Conclusion
Given their unique regenerative abilities, stem cells offer new potentials for treating
diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease. However, much work remains to be done in the
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laboratory and the clinic to understand how to use these cells for cell-based therapies to treat
disease, which is also referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine. Laboratory studies of
stem cells enable scientists to learn about the cells essential properties and what makes them
different from specialized cell types. Scientists are already using stem cells in the laboratory to
screen new drugs and to develop model systems to study normal growth and identify the causes
of birth defects. Research on stem cells continues to advance knowledge about how an organism
develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. Stem
cell research is one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary biology, but, as with many
expanding fields of scientific inquiry, research on stem cells raises scientific questions as rapidly
as it generates new discoveries. (NIH.gov, 2002) Although much more research is needed to
assess the safety and improve the efficacy of stem cells, I believe that we should tackle these
issues as they come and advance forward into exploring regenerative properties of stem
cells. Advances in stem cell research have incredible potential to save many lives and putting
many people out of their misery. We deserve the option to fully explore all the potentials that
stem cell have to offer.






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References

Current Regulation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (2005). Guidelines for Human
Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Washington D.C, The National Academies Press: 63-80
Jain, KK (2002). "Ethical and regulatory aspects of embryonic stem cell research". Expert
opinion on biological therapy 2 (8): 819
26. doi:10.1517/14712598.2.8.819.PMID 12517261.
"NIH Publishes Final Guidelines for Stem Cell Research". National Institutes of Health. 2002.
Retrieved from http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2000/od-23.htm