Nursing Advocacy - Essay Example

Explain the risks that nurses take when assuming an advocacy role.

There are 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 healthcare 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 a patient advocate include the 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 assessments of the patient’s conditions from their own perspectives are relayed in the most accurate manner. The honest and accurate disclosure of the patient’s feelings and conditions from their points of view would assist in providing the appropriate interventions to facilitate treatment, as required.