Question

Describe a situation related to patient advocacy. Discuss the ethical and legal components of the situation. Share how you would or did advocate for the patient in that situation. Discuss potential barriers to advocacy in the situation. How would you manage the barriers?

Answer 1

Describe a situation related to patient advocacy. Discuss the ethical and legal components of the situation. Share how you would or did advocate for the patient in that situation.

The goal of a professional nurse is to follow her ethics, promote health and prevent illness by delivering quality health care. Nurse plays many roles for a patient as a caregiver, communicator, decision maker , counsellor and also advisor. The nurse plays role of an advocate for a patient to restore & protect patient rights and educate patient and promote safety .

Different interventions are taken for safety of patient during medication administration. Double Check for Errors is a best way for advocating safety of patient. Human makes mistakes. Nurses have the ability to stop & fix errors by applying their critical thinking skills . The nurse read the physician's orders and previous documentation closely . They double check with other fellow nurses and the pharmacist, and call the physician if something is unclear / inappropriate to prove their role of advocacy towards a patient. The nurse should be trustworthy to the patient because she keeps the patient as her priority. A nurse should practice beneficence, non maleficence towards patient care.

Discuss potential barriers to advocacy in the situation. How would you manage the barriers?

Potential barriers to advocacy in the situation may be staff shortage, lack of support, insufficient time, lack of evidence based practice, misleading by physicians, lack of recognition & motivation and especially lack of laws and code of ethics.

These barriers can be overcome by formulating laws which says that nurses are patients' advocates. Nurse managers should provide necessary support to fellow nurses and also encourage nurses to be an effective communicator to promote patient health. Revised work patterns and adequate staffs enhance communication and patient start trusting a nurse because of good care & conversations. Advocacy is a pillar of nursing. Advocacy role often accompanied by barriers. A nurse with the help of healthcare team can overcome the barriers.