Job Search Tips :Patient Advocacy is the Responsibility of Every Healthcare Professional

Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008

Nurses and other healthcare professionals serve as first responders in matters of patient advocacy. Patient advocacy is speaking on behalf of a patient to protect his or her rights, to ensure he or she receives quality care, and to help him or her obtain necessary information and services. Social workers, physicians, lawyers, and others may serve as patient advocates, but it is their professional knowledge and skill combined with their intimate involvement in a patient’s daily care that places healthcare professionals in the position to serve as a patient’s primary advocate.

In providing daily care for a patient, nurses are the first to discover new symptoms, notice physical or mental changes, and understand a patient’s emotional needs. Through observation and participation, they are aware of the care and services a patient receives and are in a unique position to recognize unmet needs. While important in every care environment, advocacy can be critical in homecare situations where family interaction, stresses, and resources can have considerable impact on patient care. The healthcare provider may be the patient’s only link to the outside world and the family’s only source of information and support.

Patient Advocacy Week, April 13-19, recognizes the essential role each medical professional plays in protecting the rights of patients. Patient advocacy is so fundamental to nursing that it is included in the American Nurses Association (ANA) definition of nursing: “. . . the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.”

Today, most hospitals and residential care facilities staff an on-site advocate to serve patients and their families. Often a social worker, the advocate’s role may include answering questions, providing information, facilitating problem-solving, and coordinating communication between the patient or family and appropriate staff. However, staff advocates may be unaware of events and issues that impact the patient’s health and well-being. Nurses and other healthcare professionals will always carry the primary responsibility of advocating for their patients. It is through these individuals that doctors, managers, and other staff are generally apprised of a patient’s difficulties or needs.

As emphasized in the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, nurses have an ethical duty to safeguard the rights of their patients:

• The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community.
• The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient.

In today’s increasingly complex medical environment, it is easy for patients and their families to feel overwhelmed, particularly when faced with a serious illness. As patient advocates, nurses and other healthcare professionals provide vital support, information, and assistance in obtaining access to treatment. They can assist families in understanding a patient’s illness, making informed medical decisions, and coping with the requirements of treatment and care. They can recommend support groups where patients and their families can find much-needed comfort and encouragement in the company of others facing the same struggle. Advocates may be able to direct patients to resources for assistance with legal, financial or employment issues related to their illness.

In advocating for their patients, nurses and other healthcare professionals should turn first to the resources available through the hospital or care facility at which they work, or to their staffing company. Excellent information and statistical data on most major diseases and medical conditions, as well as general health information can be found on the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/). Most disease-specific organizations such as the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and others host Web sites that provide clinical information, notices of clinical trials, access to research findings, prevention information, and support group networks. These additional Web sites can be helpful to patient advocates:

• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (http://www.ahrq.gov/) provides downloadable guides and information on a wide variety of diseases and medical conditions, as well as information on health plans, prescriptions, prevention and wellness, and quality of care issues. Up-to-date research findings are also posted. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, AHRQ is a federal government Web site that provides information for both patients and medical professionals. Considerable information and press releases are also available in Spanish.
• The Patient Advocate Foundation (http://www.patientadvocate.org/index.php) offers free case management services to patients and a wealth of useful information on financial resources, clinical trails, disease information, job retention, Medicare help, and senior services. PAF is a private, non-profit group dedicated to ensuring universal access to quality medical care. Basic information and resources are available in Spanish.
• A useful list of links to advocacy Web sites for specific diseases and medical conditions is provided on the Enduring Health Web site (http://www.healthier-harvest.com/news_articles/medical_information/advocacy_list.htm#PATIENT%20ADVOCACY%20GROUP%20INFORMATION). Scroll past the product advertisements to find a brief description of each organization and a summary of information provided on its Web site with a link. Web sites are listed alphabetically by disease from Alopecia Areata to Urologic Disease.
• Patient-Centered Guides (http://www.patientcenters.com/) provide disorder-specific information with a primary focus on cancer. A number of helpful books are reviewed and available for purchase. The Life on Wheels Center (http://www.patientcenters.com/wheels/) provides information and a comprehensive list of advocacy groups, organizations and resources for wheelchair-bound patients.