Empowered Advocates: Nurses’ Voices for Patients in Hospitals

Take a look at consider the following illustration. A pediatric nurse believes that transferring a child to a different clinic will traumatize the young child and his loved ones already suffering from a flood. She speaks out on behalf of them. The doctor agrees with the nurse in clinical settings. These nurses advocate putting the needs of families and individuals above routines in nursing homes and red tape.

To succeed in healthcare advocacy, healthcare professionals must have excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. In nursing professions, these skills can be developed through education courses & school of nursing diploma programs such as LPN nursing programs at community colleges.

Read on to learn about patient advocacy, ethical issues, and how you can be successful in the healthcare field by understanding the examples of patient advocacy.

Patient Advocacy Explained

Advocates speak for those who are not heard. They work with those who make decisions in healthcare systems, like physicians and legislators, to find solutions and offer alternatives for needy people. Healthcare teams may be asked to advocate for children, patients with mental illness, or patients who don’t know their rights and are unaware of healthcare policies.

According to an article published in Nursing 2019, advocacy in the nursing process has four phases.

Assess the patient’s needs by considering their medical background, personal values and level of consciousness. Identify patients’ goals in long-term care facilities, including their treatment options.
Create a plan of advocacy in nursing to achieve these goals.
Consider the satisfaction level of the patient and family and the team when evaluating the result of their advocacy.

Advocacy Types

Some examples of patient advocacy include:

Advocacy at the Healthcare Facilities

Nurses who provide direct patient care can act as mediators, bringing together doctors and patients who might have missed specific needs or solutions. Examples of patient advocacy is given an incorrect diagnosis, a dangerous accommodation or unclear instructions on self-care by a health care professional. In that case, they must inform the doctor and medical facility.

Related:- Coordinated Care Definition & Why It is important?

Advocacy in the Legal System

Suppose they feel that a patient is receiving unfair treatment. In that case, medical professionals can speak out for a better option or legal and financial solutions if the healthcare provider believes this. Caregivers in health care settings can also suggest changes to a medical process or a group of patients.

Advocacy for Families

Related to science in nursing, nurses can also extend their advocacy work to include the families of patients. The nurse must intervene if, related to examples of patient advocacy, controlling family members make harmful decisions on behalf of the patient in a variety of settings.

Critical Skills for Nurse Advocacy

To be successful at patient advocacy, nurses need to have certain skills, Also can learn by enrolling in prerequisite courses. Nurse advocates must have leadership, negotiation, and decision-making skills to work with legal entities, health care teams, and family members.

As caretakers gain more education, their skills will improve. Verve College offers licensed practical nurse programs with outstanding nursing curriculum that can help students strengthen and develop the skills they need to succeed on the licensure exam and become leaders in nursing and their leadership in crisis in health care. Empower them to advocate for patients and communities.

Becoming a Patient Advocate as a Nurse

Health care providers are needed more than ever to guide patients through the growing and complex healthcare industry. Performing clinical rotation is also a vital part of a clinical course in a practical nursing program near me that can help nursing students to develop critical thinking, understand scope of nursing practice, learn how to provide wound care & prepare for the NCLEX-PN exam to make them powerful advocate for patients. This program ranked as one of the diploma programs with a significant focus on clinical hours for prospective students who want to become leaders in their careers and influence the future of medical care.