What is Nurse Advocacy?
Nurse advocacy is an undertaking geared towards preserving human dignity, promoting patients’ equality, and ensuring that patients make the right decisions concerning their health (Williams et al., 2018). Nurses make an effort to ethically take care of patients and safeguard them against any harm. Nurses advocate for patients to ensure that they receive the proper treatment they require while observing their concerns and cultural beliefs. Their regular interaction with patients allows them to understand their beliefs and barriers to successful treatment. As a result, nurse advocacy plays a significant role in pushing policies that benefit patients’ health and treatment outcomes. For example, nurses can talk on behalf of patients and share their concerns to get the quality care they need. Consequently, nurse advocacy helps patients make informed decisions by assisting them to understand the processes and procedures of their care (Williams et al., 2018). Some patients have health conditions that require them to make tough decisions that can affect their future wellbeing. Nurses can advocate for such patients by explaining options and procedures for a successful treatment outcome.
Why Should Nurses get involved in Public Health Policy?
Nurses should get involved in public health policy to influence patients’ current and future healthcare (Stanhope & Lancaster 2019). Nurses works closely with patients in addressing their needs. In this case, they can advocate for public health policy development and ensure that sound policies supporting patients are implemented and enforced. Nurses also get involved in public health policy to improve their working conditions. They can implement policies that ensure their safety at work place. For example, policies that protects nurses such as wearing mask and gloves can help reduce the risk of exposure to diseases and chemicals during treatment. At the same time, they can work closely with healthcare leaders to improve the health of people in communities. They can focus on population health by addressing their needs and advocating for resources, services and education for the community. For example, they can educate people in the community they serve on the importance of disease prevention and how to manage communicable diseases. Consequently nurses get involved in public health policy to ensure individual health. Nurses have the responsibility to respond to barriers preventing people from being health and seeking medical attention whenever they are sick. Therefore, nurses have to understand these health disparities and work towards health equity by advocating for their patients.
How Can Nurses Get Involved?
Nurses can conduct quality improvement projects focusing on enhancing patients’ health. For this reason, nurses can transform health policy on multiple levels by undertaking quality improvement projects concerned with bettering patients’ health and outcome (Stanhope & Lancaster 2019). For example, they can attend a local meeting in communities dealing with the establishment of public health policies and share their experience and advice with health ministers because they understand the specific needs of the communities they serve. At the same time, they can write and share information with their political representatives and advise them on critical health-related issues (Stanhope & Lancaster 2019). For example, suppose a particular public hospital lacks drugs and advanced medical devices; they can share the information with their representatives to allow patients to get the proper treatment in public health facilities.
References
Kalaitzidis, E., & Jewell, P. (2020). The concept of advocacy in nursing: a critical analysis. The health care manager, 39(2), 77-84.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2019). Public health nursing e-book: Population-centered health care in the community. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2018). Nurse advocacy: Adopting a health in all policies approach. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3).
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