Our role in patient advocacy is to stand up for their rights and provide them with the right care and education. Advocacy is the act of supporting a cause. (Helbig, 2022) I think every day I advocate for patients because I care for them. Sometimes patients don’t fully understand their diagnosis, treatment, or medications. When I have a patients who are bladder-incontinent, I helped them get incontinence supplies at no cost. Many patients are not aware of the programs that the community has to help patients by providing supplies. It is important to fully educate patients about risk factors and side effects and teach them about possible treatments. Providing the right medications to our patients is another example of advocacy; provide safety for them. According to Nitzky (2018), there are six ways to advocate for patients, such as educating patients, protecting patients rights, connecting patients to resources, and providing the right medication to their patients. It is very important to keep patients updated on their care. Unsuccessful advocacy can result in negative consequences for the health institution and nurses. (Nsiah, et.al. (2020)
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. P. K. (2019, December 19). Barriers to practicing patient advocacy in healthcare setting. Nursing open. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7024610/
Helbig, J. (2022). Professional engagement. In Grand Canyon University, Dynamics in Nursing: Art & Science of Professional Practice. (2nd ed.). Grand Canyon University
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