Patient Advocacy Concept Analysis

A research study conducted by Johnson and Johnson (2012), found that nurses fear that talking about their technical skills and medical knowledge somehow risks their reputation for caring and compassion. In order to protect nursing professional identity, they emphasised that nurses could leverage to have a greater voice in their professional identity and let compassion be the fundamental care to be delivered to patients.

The second specific practice theory in nursing is the professionalism concepts. The professionalism concepts are based on the delivery of professional nursing aspects, quality health care and health policy (Polit & Beck, 2013). By taking into account these concepts, it is a serious concern that the nursing fraternity will have been a better profession and industry catering for the well-being of humanity race. Therefore, being a nurse, I have to take into consideration all the aspects that would enable an efficient delivery of quality services (Dossey, 2010).

It followed the top to bottom approach in order to give an overview of the scope of discipline on the role of nurses.Jacox and Hardy also made a conceptual model to set nursing apart from medicine. Again it was brought up that conceptual framework is not testable and does not explain a phenomena as compared to logical empiricism.

Every nursing, in order to consider the profession must have an understanding of at least three of the five professional values, in my opinion. These values consist of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice (Taylor 96). Beginning with the professional value of Altruism, the believe in or practice and self concern for the well-being of others (96). I believe that in order to be the best nurse you can be for your patients, you must understand the concept of altruism. As a nurse, your profession is to take care of people, if you do not know the professional value of altruism than you cannot possibly understand how important it is to care about the wellbeing of your patient. Not only do you need to focus on the wellbeing of your patient, but the patient

The role of a nurse as a patient advocate is an important one. The main purpose of this role is to respect patient decisions and boost patient autonomy. Nurses must advocate for their patients and facilitate optimal health, functioning, and wellness. These patient advocacy responsibilities include assuring that patients understand their medical diagnosis and treatment regimen, listening to the patient's’ concerns, and respecting their healthcare decisions (Ronnebaum & Schmer, 2015). Providing patient advocacy will continue to enhance healthcare encounters and

Provision 9, is about the nursing profession and all other professions and organizations in the health care field. They must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy.

The nation’s health is at risk and nurse should be encouraged to continue their education. Advancing educational levels help to prepare nurses for leadership roles and encourage autonomy in the nursing profession and practice. With health care policy constantly changing it is imperative nurses begin to design and advocate for healthcare policy to decrease or eliminate health care inequities. The American Nurses Association’s current definition of nursing is “the protection, promotion and optimization of health abilities prevention of illness and injury alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations” (Nickitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2016, pg.

According to the National Alliance of Social Workers (NASW), social justice is one of the primary ethics which social workers must uphold. Empowerment is a social work theory rooted in social justice, with a main goal of reducing social inequalities through community building and redistribution of access to power. The basic premise of empowerment is "to change the environment, change yourself" (Van Wormer & Besthorn, pg. 212). However, in order to change one 's environment or self, there must be options available and opportunities for individuals to have control over their own decisions. Empowerment theory also aims to build community through citizen participation, collaboration and engagement among community members. This theory also seeks

“She envisioned what nursing could be and should be and set about bringing this vision to fruition. She created a model of nursing that persists to this day in the form of honor and respectability associated with nurses, highly structured nursing education, and holistic patient care approaches. She was ahead of her time, engaging in research and effecting sweeping policy changes when women were heavily discouraged from such endeavors.” She was a leader and reformer who led the way for the development of science based practice in the 21st century. “If we were to derive one simple lesson from Nightingale’s life and work, it would come from this single unifying thread that society has a big responsibility for the health of all its members.” Nursing has never been simple or easy, nor is serving as a patient advocate. However, it is important to include advocacy as a part of nursing. Advocacy is standing up for the rights of all individuals and must include interpersonal relationships between nurses, patients, professional colleagues, and the public. Nightingale’s experiences in nursing demonstrated to her the value of advocating for nurses and patients. She believed in the fact that all people were equal and thus believed should be treated as such and she used her leadership and advocacy skills to create change in

Student nurses and nurses spend majority of their time dedicating themselves to patient safety and quality of care. They do patient education, administer medications, perform head to toe assessments, but most importantly, they possess effective communication skills by listening to their patients. This is important because it allows the nurse to understand the concerns of their patients and advocate for their rights. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), advocacy is when one uses his or her position to protect, support, or speak out for the rights and interests of another.” (Sanford, 2012). The nurse serves as a patient advocate in many situations. Some of these situations include but are not limited to patient rights,

Meleis and Schumacher (1994) stated that “nurse-client encounters often occurs during transitional periods of instability precipitated by developmental, situational, or health illness change” (p. 119) which may alter the lifestyle of individuals and their family members (p. 119). Therefore, with NPs being the front line providers in support of holistic and family–centered care, they are significant in meeting the needs of such a vulnerable population. To address this issue, Meleis has published a framework that addresses role insufficiency and role supplementation. Role insufficiency is self defined and perceived as the inability to adequately perform one’s role (Meleis, 2010, p.16). It may entail, “anxiety, depression, apathy, frustrations, grief, powerlessness, unhappiness, and/or aggression, and hostility” (Meleis, 2010, p.17). Role supplementation is defined when role insufficiency is identified. It is comprised of role clarification and role taking which may be preventative and therapeutic (Meleis, 2010, p. 17). Therefore, as sole providers it is imperative for professional nurses to understand the behavior of clients to diagnose and intervene appropriately (Meleis, 2010, p.

Agent of Change- Coordinates activities to bring about positive changes in the health care system

The third aspect mentioned that nurses must have communicative capabilities. The nurses serve as spokespersons for patients who are often in vulnerable positions. The nurses are easily accessible and can act as a link between the patient and other professions. According to people/superiors, nurses can use the right substantive arguments on behalf of a patient’s interests or needs. They accept that this expertise is important for patients because it is related to the quality of

SYNER-G-CARE inc is a Canadian corporation based in Winnipeg, Manitoba which provides patient advocacy and caregiver solutions to its clients and families. SYNER-G-CARE was established in year 2012. SYNER-G-CARE helps patients in many ways by providing solutions to their problems. According to SYNER-G-CARE it provides following solutions to the patients and individuals

Providing care to a patient is a particularly challenging process that requires a great deal of effort from a nurse. A nurse’s ability to give quality care to their patient is an important aspect to a patient’s life both now and in the future. As such, nurses must exhibit specific qualities in their practice in order to maintain the best standard of care for their patients. Given this, I believe that the standards of knowledge, advocacy, and self-awareness are foundational to the nursing practice and to a nurse’s capacity to provide quality patient care.