Nurse Advocacy — A Transformative Tool

The nursing code of ethics establishes the fundamental obligation of carer to advocate on behalf of the patients

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Nicola O’ sullivan
Nicola O’ sullivan

Published: Thu 12 May 2022, 9:00 AM

Becoming the change you want is a timeless best practice, and it thrives in nursing. As nurses work night and day to alleviate the suffering of patients and bring them back to health, they embark on a journey that helps them get a close view of the patient’s physical, emotional, psycho-sociological and spiritual needs. It is an invaluable learning that forms the raison d’etre of healthcare. Nurse advocacy informs, shapes, and influences the direction healthcare should take to deliver on its promise of patient-focused care.

Nada Chehab
Nada Chehab

Based on observation, evidence, and conclusion, a nurse’s viewpoint is the fountainhead of change, and it creates the perfect circumstances for a nurse to become a patient advocate.

Joana Afonso
Joana Afonso

We must view nurse advocacy in its full context: It is the ‘Voice that Leads’ to healthcare’s transformation. This voice emerged fully in the 19th century when the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, showed the world the power of nursing advocacy. Nightingale used statistics and graphs as evidence to prove how the fatalities in World War 1 were not only due to enemy fire but more so due to the wound infections, caused by dismal sanitary conditions. Her advocacy, evidence-based arguments and knowledge changed the face of nursing forever.

Stacy Mcteer
Stacy Mcteer

In an era that was unaware of Big Data, Nightingale used it to engineer change. Today, we have AI crunching Big Data.

Khulud Al Homsi
Khulud Al Homsi

The success of any healthcare institution or hospital lies in its ability to enhance a patient’s treatment journey and enable a successful care outcome. These responsibilities are fixed in the hospital’s mission and purpose, and nurses are central to fulfilling them.

Franzel Dreyer
Franzel Dreyer

As a vital bridge between doctors and patients, nurses are a prime asset for advocacy. From the patient’s bedside to the boardroom of a healthcare institution, the voices of nurses offer a reality check on the healthcare system’s functioning, addressing the gamut of a patient’s needs.

MJ
MJ

They improve upon what is working well to make it better, and they hold a mirror to the system’s flaws, obstacles, delays, imbalances, and procedural biases, to enable a reset. They are change-makers at the institutional level, and hospitals that value and listen to their nurses benefit from their knowledge and experience.

Rachelle Mendoza
Rachelle Mendoza

Nurses are also important ambassadors to the outside world, because they are the first point of contact for the patient’s families. They help the patient’s family develop resilience and courage and cope with the challenging circumstances, chiselling another invaluable facet of nursing advocacy.

Raef Ibrahim
Raef Ibrahim
Shadi Rmaile
Shadi Rmaile

In its pure form, advocacy is an ethic of practice, and nurses epitomise the nobility of espousing the cause of people who are at their most vulnerable. They not only seek to improve the day-to-day circumstances for a patient, but they also contribute to creating the most conducive overall conditions for them by carrying their voice to the highest level of decision-making.


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