Posted at 11.01.2018
Nurses are highly skilled and trained experts who take care of the tired. They educate patients, families, areas and populations on health and fitness and healthy living as well as health methods to any chronic or current disease process and treatment. Furthermore, nurses are entrusted with the work of accomplishing treatment and techniques as approved by physicians, doctor assistants and nurse experts. Pattillo (2011) notes a nurse is full of compassion on her behalf fellow human beings; they possess good communication skills and good hearing skills. They are required to report the improvement of these patients to physicians, keep patient files, chart all patients' observations, do the teaching procedures for patients and report communications using their patients. The type and duties of nurses depict them as health care providers that are closest to patients and their families. They are really therefore endowed with the task of advocating for the rights of patients within health care institutions. This newspaper discusses nurses as advocates for the patients, offering reasons why advocacy for patients' privileges should be incorporated into the medical practice.
Nurses are better positioned as advocates of patients because they're constantly interacting with patients, thus which makes it easy for patients to trust them and confide in them. Pattillo (2011)
describes a variety of activities performed by nurses, which extend to the wider community. Medical involves collaborative care of communities, individuals of all ages, categories and households; both tired and healthy (Pattillo, 2011). Nurses prevent illnesses, promote health, and look after the disabled, the sick and the dying people put under their good care. Moreover, they can be advocates for promotion of protected climate, health education, research participation in shaping health insurance plan as well as systems and patient management (Pattillo, 2011).
Marquis & Huston (2009) observe that nurses are the first healthcare professionals to recognize situations which are not in the best interest of patients and report these situations to persons that could results change. They identify and take action or survey things such as doubtful drug order to the medical doctor or report an incompetent doctor to a nursing supervisor; thus advocating for the rights of the individual (Marquis & Huston, 2009).
The American Medical Organizations Code requires nurses to be advocates of patients by reporting instances of patient misuse, including known or suspected circumstances of mental, physical or intimate misuse because they constitute unprofessional do and form basis for disciplinary action resistant to the culprits (Marquis & Huston, 2009). When the nurse is not satisfied with how a reported circumstance is handled to protect interest of the patient, the Code offers nurses to pursue the truth further within appropriate reporting channel and outside the agency (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Regarding to Marquis & Huston (2009), the insurance policy for panel of recorded nurses warns that reporting duties are duties of specific nurses and supervisors or administrators are not necessary to impede or inhibit the procedure or subject matter the reporting nurse to any sanction for making the report. Nurses are further advised to follow guidelines developed by the table of documented nurses regarding content of patient misuse course in identifying abuse cases that want action to safeguard the rights with their patients (Marquis & Huston, 2009).
Nursing advocacy plays a key role in observing safety of patients during their encounters with healthcare system; specially when the individual is too ill to serve his own advocate or when the individual is considering surgery and anesthesia. Marquis & Huston (2009) point out that during situations of surgery, the circulating nurse must serve as the patient's advocate, speaking for the individual and safeguarding patient's wants throughout the process. The nurse is required by the nursing code to support the cause or proposal as a result of patient's vulnerability. Nurses serve as patients advocate by advocating increased health care methods that relate to control of microbe infections and patient attention environments as well as usage of care. Marquis & Huston (2009) note that each encounter that the nurse has with his patient presents an opportunity for the nurse to serve as the advocate for the individual.
Giving words to patients in situations where patients decide to give their full trust to doctor or when the patients are hesitant to speak their brain can be an advocacy role of nurses to their patients. Goldberg (2011) reiterates that in such situations, nurses should encourage patients to words their wishes and offer care that focuses on conference patients' specific hopes. In addition, nurses should ensure that the safest procedures are observed for patients during care provision. As advocates for the patients, nurses are required to limit traffic in functioning suite or delay the beginning of a surgery treatment until right instructions are provided (Goldberg, 2011). This not only eradicates carelessness but also protects the wellness of patient throughout the procedure. Furthermore, Goldberg (2011) embraces the importance of nnurses in the preoperative area who play a critical role by attention environment monitoring, provision of safe look after the individual and campaign of guidelines for reduction and control of infections. The nurse as an advocate for the individual must intervene in situations where patient's security is compromised like where a physician will not routinely clean his hands before coming in contact with an individual or doctors who regularly violate sterile approach and ignores other practice benchmarks. The code stipulates for nurses to recognize and treat practice habits that put patient vulnerable in order to protect the protection under the law and well-being of the patient.
Besides performing as advocates for patients, nurses also act as advocates for members of the family of the individual. Goldberg (2011) highlights that excellent results have been achieved through advocacy in situations where patients are very ill with point of fatality; where upon request of family to be with the patients, nurses have reputed these desires and allowed family members to be with the individual. In such situations, loss of life conditions have been reversed with the patient's condition increasing drastically upon witnessing family. Patient's advocacy warranties safety and coverage of patients from avoidable damage as patients and their members of the family depend on nurses to discover and treat potential security issues (Goldberg, 2011).
Nurses as advocates for patients face numerous problems in their daily advocacy obligations. Goldberg (2011) observes that some medical professionals may not react or listen to nurses regularly therefore of fighting priorities for nurse attention and work, thus placing jobs before advocacy. Additionally, hierarchical and institutional constraints frequently limit nurses from role as advocates of patients; positioning patient's safety vulnerable. Individuals who espouse advocacy for patients are of the judgment that nurses should achieve higher professional autonomy for privileges of patients to be fully protected in hospital options. Goldberg (2011) regrets that while medical ethics rarely addresses the liberty of physicians to establish professional romantic relationships with patients, nursing ethics must package with continuous challenges to liberty of practice, especially in clinic settings.
The intertwining of professional and ethical concerns, with the key points such as rights of patient and autonomy being considered in the same context as professional independence to practice is quite challenging and places nurses at an uncomfortable position. However, it is clear that the primary obligation of any nurse is to the patients, however, not to doctors or hierarchies in health care facilities. This has gained prominence and huge popularity within the career. The American Nursing Organizations Code requires nurses to be always alert as client's advocates by firmly taking necessary action on any situations of unethical, unlawful or incompetent routines originating from health care system, members of healthcare team or actions that violate patient's best interest. It has overtaken parts of previous code that mandated nurses to be obedient to doctors' orders and observe high level of assurance in physicians. In addition, placing nurses as advocates for the patients has resulted in switch of nurses' perceptions with their key allegiance from physicians and private hospitals to patients. However, advocacy for patients may be a complex issue, especially when patients are unwilling expressing their personal preferences or are afraid to say what they want because they believe that it will alienate their medical professional. Sometimes disagreements may occur between choices and also the nurse may find other care experts indifferent or opposed to wish of his patient. These reasons and others make advocating for patients a complicated activity.
To conclude, nurses as advocates for patients have been embraced in most health care companies. Advocacy for patients promises safety and security for patients, especially in situations where patients are too sick or during surgery. Health care experts should therefore value the role of nurses as advocates for patients by providing adequate support and cooperation in order to achieve this goal.