Effective patient advocacy is a requisite of effective nursing practice, and all nurses have the potential to become powerful advocates. By keeping up with healthcare policies and best practices, communicating transparently with patients and families, and showing empathy and compassion, nurses can make a profound difference in the lives of those under their care. Nurses inherently protect their patient’s rights to self-determination and ensure fair and equal care while providing for quality and safety at the bedside (Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J., 2019, p. 1125). The nurse advocate builds upon these essential skills, leveraging nursing experience and industry knowledge to assist individuals in ways that may not be feasible at the bedside due to organizational demands.
Key elements of the RN patient advocate’s role:
- Facilitate communication between the individual, their healthcare team and family members to help create clarity and understanding.
- Educate clients on their health issues and the healthcare system processes, so that they have the necessary tools and information to make informed decisions.
- Assess the individual’s overall health and current treatment plan to help determine what is working well and what may require change.
- Create a personalized care plan that combines education, assessment, and communication to best address a person’s particular needs.
- Assist with preparing for office visits, surgery, hospitalization, and other health related events.
- Network and research to obtain resources and information needed to effectively advocate for clients and provide them with needed education and resources.
- Listen attentively to the client, their loved ones, and their care team, to gather crucial information to provide the client with the best possible care and achieve the most favorable outcome.
- Empower the individual to advocate for themselves and others by increasing their understanding and knowledge about their health needs and available resources.
- Protect the client’s rights by communicating their wishes to family members and the healthcare team.
The sole focus of an RN patient advocate is assessing the special needs and interests of their clients and providing highly personalized assistance that is tailored to the individual. By amplifying patients’ voices, defending their rights, advocating for optimal care, and offering unbiased educational resources, RN patient advocates promote healing and wellness for the people they serve (Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J., 2019, p. 1131).
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. (2019). Registered nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307