Advocating for Patients with Suspicious Injuries or Illnesses - Essay Example

According to King (2015) in circumstances where the nurses are of the view that the health and the wellbeing of the patient are in jeopardy, they will have to lead the line to call for proper care and look for resources to be used. Moreover, they can advocate for the patient’s rights by changing the policies that require improvement. In other circumstances, they fulfill this responsibility by being the voice of the patients in the interprofessional teams so as to promote and optimize patient care.

Major challenges to Patient AdvocacyWhile advocating for the patients, nurses face several challenges that affect their work in one way or the other. Lack of support is perhaps the most critical issue. Some nurses are not accorded the required support to advocate for the patients (Cole, Wellard & Mummery, 2014). Limited communication between the patient and the nurse may also jeopardize the process. Lack of motivation due to the existing frustrating policies may also affect the ability of the nurse to advocate for the patients.

Strategies for Overcoming the ChallengesTo deal with the issue of support, nurses need to enlighten each other on the importance of patient advocacy.