Nursing advocacy

Nursing Advocacy al Affiliation Nursing Advocacy Explain the risks that nurses take when assuming an advocacy role. Thereare risks, challenges, or barriers encountered by nurses when assuming the role of patient-advocates. One important barrier or risk is having to accept the fact that the concept of ‘ physicians-leading’ supersede the assumption of the advocacy role (Negarandeh, Oskouie, Ahmadi, Nikravesh, & Hallberg, 2006). As reportedly expressed by some nurses, it is fairly difficult to openly promote the advocacy to the patients when their stance would not be supported by other health care practitioners, especially physicians. In addition, to assert patient advocacy, nurses would have to spend more time with patients to listen to their sentiments about their health condition. As such, when nurses spend more time with their patients, as part of the advocacy role, they would risk jeopardizing the undertaking of other responsibilities needed in their respective units.
What are the benefits associated with being a patient advocate?
The patient advocacy role has always been regarded to be imbibed in the nursing profession (Wood, 2010). The benefits associated with being patient advocate include promotion of the core values of preserving human dignity, respecting patient equality, and recognizing the need for patients to free them from pain and suffering (Jacksonville University, 2014). In addition, assuming a patient advocate role would assist in gaining the trust of patients so that more accurate assessment of the patients’ conditions from their own perspectives are relayed in the most accurate manner. The honest and accurate disclosure of the patients’ feelings and conditions from their points of views would assist in providing the appropriate interventions to facilitate treatment, as required.
References
Jacksonville University. (2014). Nurses Advocating for Patients. Retrieved from jacksonvilleu. com: http://www. jacksonvilleu. com/resources/nursing/nurses-advocating-for-patients/#. VBROpCeUc2U
Negarandeh, R., Oskouie, F., Ahmadi, F., Nikravesh, M., & Hallberg, I. (2006, March 1). Patient advocacy: barriers and facilitators. Retrieved from BMC Nursing: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1420298/
Wood, D. (2010, April 30). The Nurses Role as Patient Advocate. Retrieved from Nurse Zone: http://www. nursezone. com/nursing-news-events/more-news/The-Nurses-Role-as-Patient-Advocate_33962. aspx