A nurse must advocate for the rights of a patient even if it challenges the insights of their colleague. When a registered nurse notices that there is a particular action that is illegal, unethical, and inappropriate, he or she has the right to raise a concern to prevent it from harming a patient ( Marquis & Huston, 2015 ). This advocacy does not cater to the interests of the involved member of the interprofessional team. Primarily, the nursing profession prioritizes the health outcomes of patients. Besides, when clients are sick, they lose their freedom, interdependence, and ability to make informed decisions ( Marquis & Huston, 2015 ). In such an instance, a nurse should act as a patient’s advocate and ensure that they achieve justice. Under the concept of patient advocacy, nurses act as mediators meaning that they act as patients’ voices and communicate the patients’ values, principles, and preferences in case a member of the healthcare system attempts to overlook them (Abbasinia, Ahmadi, & Kazemnejad , 2019). As such, nurses ensure that patients’ right to dignity is upheld. Nurses can also overlook the input of other healthcare professionals when they want to facilitate the delivery of customized care to patients.
Furthermore, client advocacy relates to professionalism, ethics, and quality in healthcare practice. In the nursing profession, nurses have the responsibility of ensuring that patients have access to health care ( Marquis & Huston, 2015 ). An integral element of client advocacy entails involving patients in the decision-making process and considering their input concerning the proposed medical procedure. Besides, client advocacy appeals to ethics since it resolves any conflict of interest concerning the expectations and the desired outcomes, which may arise between a caregiver and patient ( Marquis & Huston, 2015 ). In such a scenario, client advocacy ensures that the interests and needs of patients are prioritized as a means to improve their health outcomes. Additionally, client advocacy fosters the delivery of high quality of care as it confronts and challenges the inappropriate policies in the healthcare system (Abbasinia, Ahmadi, & Kazemnejad , 2019). This strategy identifies and corrects any inequality in healthcare centers. It allows patients to make decisions and address the concerns about a given medical procedure or healthcare professional.
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References
Abbasinia, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2019). Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing Ethics , 27 (1), 141-151.doi:10.1177/0969733019832950
Marquis, B.L., & Huston, C.J. (2015). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing . (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
