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NursingDiscussion postHealth economics

DNP 815 Week 6 DQ 2: economic theory in practice

The second question is about evaluation method, not about budgets — cost-effectiveness, opportunity cost and perspective are the concepts that let you compare two interventions rather than describe one.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Two questions, and the second is about method

Answer the two halves separately, because the second is more technical than it looks. For the first, the concepts that actually change how an advanced practice nurse thinks are scarcity and opportunity cost — every resource used is unavailable for something else, so proposing an intervention is implicitly proposing to displace whatever it crowds out. Supply and demand explains workforce shortages and the effect of scope-of-practice restrictions. Information asymmetry explains why health care markets behave unlike other markets and why patients cannot shop for value. Moral hazard and induced demand explain patterns of utilisation that look irrational until you see the incentives. Naming two or three with a practice example each is better than listing six. Naming two or three concepts with a practice example attached to each is worth more than listing six with definitions, because the example is what shows the concept changing a judgement rather than merely being known.

The second question is about evaluation method. Cost-effectiveness analysis compares interventions by cost per unit of health outcome; cost-utility uses a common unit such as the quality-adjusted life year so unlike interventions can be compared; cost-benefit puts both sides in money; cost-minimisation applies only when outcomes are already known to be equivalent. Choose the right one for the comparison you are making, and say why. Two further points raise the post. Perspective determines the answer — an analysis from the hospital's point of view, the payer's, or society's will reach different conclusions about the same programme, because each counts different costs, and a patient's lost earnings appear only in the societal view. And the time horizon matters, since prevention concentrates costs now and benefits later. Both are the sort of thing a DNP proposing a project will be asked about. A patient's lost earnings appear in one of those views and in neither of the others.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Identify economic concepts that change clinical and organisational reasoning.
  • 02
    Distinguish the main forms of economic evaluation.
  • 03
    Select an evaluation type appropriate to a given comparison.
  • 04
    Explain how perspective and time horizon change a result.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

DNP 815 Week 6 Discussions DQ 2 How can the knowledge of economic theory be utilized by advanced practice nurses DNP 815 Week 6 Discussions DQ 2 How can the knowledge of economic theory be utilized by advanced practice nurses? How can the knowledge of economic theory be utilized by advanced practice nurses? How can economic theory be applied in analysis of interventions?
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class DNP 815 Week 6 Discussions DQ 2 How can the knowledge of economic theory be utilized by advanced practice nurses Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Name: Discussion Rubric Grid View List View Excellent 90–100 Good 80–89 Fair 70–79 Poor 0–69 Main Posting: Response to the Discussion question is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. 40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Thoroughly responds to the Discussion question(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three current credible sources. 35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to most of the Discussion question(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible references. 31 (31%) – 34 (34%) Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Cited with fewer than two credible references. 0 (0%) – 30 (30%) Does not respond to the Discussion question(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible references. Main Posting: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Main Posting: Timely and full participation 9 (9%) – 10 (10%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Posts main Discussion by due date. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Discussion by due date. First Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. First Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. First Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Second Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. Second Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Total Points: 100 Name: Discussion Rubric

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    Two or three economic concepts with practice examples.
  2. 02
    The main forms of economic evaluation, distinguished.
  3. 03
    A choice of evaluation type for a stated comparison.
  4. 04
    The effect of perspective and time horizon.
03

Concepts, then the analysis of an intervention

01

The concepts that matter

Explain scarcity, opportunity cost and one or two others with practice examples.

02

Forms of economic evaluation

Distinguish cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit and cost-minimisation.

03

Choosing one

Select the right form for a stated comparison and justify it.

04

Perspective and horizon

Show how the viewpoint and timeframe change what the analysis concludes.

04

Economic evaluations you can actually read

Recommended databases

  • Tufts CEA Registry
  • PubMed Central
  • CMS
  • Health economics literature

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Read one published economic evaluation in full before describing the method.
  2. 2.
    Check which perspective that evaluation took and what it counted.
  3. 3.
    Search your own project area AND cost-effectiveness for an existing analysis.
  4. 4.
    Find one example where prevention did not save money, which sharpens the argument.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    CEA Registry

    Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center · 2024

    A registry of cost-effectiveness analyses, which is where the method stops being abstract.

  2. 02

    An economic evaluation of the effectiveness of telemedicine in hematooncology

    PLOS ONE · 2023

    A worked economic evaluation of a clinical service, useful as the concrete example of an analysis of an intervention.

  3. 03

    About the CMS Innovation Center | CMS

    Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · 2024

    How payment models are designed to change incentives, which is economic theory operating on practice directly.

  4. 04

    Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

    Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · 2025

    A programme built on an incentive argument, and a clear case where perspective decides whether it looks like a saving.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Answering the second question as though it were about budgeting.
  • Listing economic concepts with no practice example.
  • Using cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit as interchangeable terms.
  • Ignoring perspective, which can reverse a conclusion.
  • Omitting opportunity cost, which is the concept that does the most work.

Submission checklist

  • Are both questions answered separately?
  • Does each concept come with a practice example?
  • Are the evaluation types distinguished correctly?
  • Have you stated the perspective your analysis would take?
  • Is the time horizon addressed?

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