How does a doctor ally prepared advanced practice nurse advocate for patients as well as the nursing profession?
How does a doctorally prepared advanced practice nurse advocate for patients as well as the nursing profession? Is there a symbiotic relationship between the two goals? How is advocacy advanced effectively?
Patient advocacy in nursing is a relatively modern idea (1), but its first movements originated in Florence Nightingale’s era (2). It is of such importance that it has entered the moral codes of nursing institutions (1, 3). The need for justice is among the basic human needs (4) and nurses, more than anyone else, are in contact with patients and their problems (5); therefore, they can provide justice for the
DNP 840 Topic 4 Discussion Question Two
DNP 840 Topic 4 Discussion Question Two
patients better than anyone else (6). Nurses are the first advocates of patients (7), and are the link between the patient and the health care system (8).Patient advocacy is one of the extremely important roles of the nurses (9–12).
The patient or client is vulnerable and has experienced varying degrees of damage (13). Therefore, many opportunities arise in nursing for the enforcement of patient advocacy, which has turned the nursing profession into the most reliable profession regarding patient advocacy. Through the appropriate performance of this role, the trust and respect of the community toward the nurses will increase (7). Nevertheless, even when they have effectively performed their role, complications such as fear, anger, frustration, hopelessness, and a sense of separation from their peers are experienced (1, 9). However, effective advocacy improves the quality of patient care and enriches the nursing profession. Thus, the failure to play this role effectively may detract from the richness of this profession (14) and result in nurses leaving their profession (15).