Question

Research a health care initiative or a legislative statute that is currently on its underway state or federally. you may want to check nursing organizations that have legislative that can provide their analysis on current health issues. Discuss how you can take an active role as a health care advocate (at the state, federal, or local level as appropriate). Identified one tactic to identify initiative or legislative.

Answer 1

As a

Importance of Patient Advocacy in Nursing

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Published On: November 11, 2016

An advocate is someone who serves as a supporter, partner, friend, confidante, cheerleader and more. Nurses wear all of these hats at one time or another — sometimes all for the same patient. Advocacy is as essential to the role of a nurse as any other aspect of nursing care. Interacting with patients more than any other healthcare provider, nurses are in the perfect position to serve as patient advocates. Nurses use a number of techniques and follow many principles to be excellent patient advocates.

Nursing Code of Ethics

Nurses must adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Nurses Association (ANA), which addresses the issue of patient advocacy in nursing. That advocacy involves supporting patients in many ways.

Healthcare Equality for All Patients

According to the Code of Ethics, all nurses must care for patients “with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes or the nature of health problems.” Everyone should have equal access to healthcare, and all nurses should adhere to the principle of universal human value.
Nurses have a responsibility to advocate for equal access to care. Everyone deserves access to the same level of attention and compassion. Race, religion, socioeconomic status or other criteria should not be a factor in healthcare. Nurses can and should advocate for healthcare equality. They should encourage others not to discriminate and model this principle themselves.

Alleviation of Suffering

Sadly, there is a great deal of suffering that occurs in the healthcare setting. As their patient’s advocate, nurses have a responsibility to address their suffering. Nurses need to observe each patient and assess their level of discomfort because suffering is relative. There are two categories of suffering: the illness, disease, injury, diagnoses or treatment and problems caused by the healthcare system, such as medical errors.
Some of the areas where nurses can advocate for their patients include pain management and reducing physical suffering. Nurses can also address mental, psychological or emotional suffering.

Promotion of Human Dignity

Paying attention to and preserving human dignity includes maintaining the patient’s autonomy, respect and privacy. Nurses must abide by patients’ wishes regarding healthcare choices, and nurses must also remind patients that they have control over their bodies and their care.
Nurses can respect patients by not talking down to them, literally or figuratively. When it comes to privacy, nurses can discuss private matters discreetly. Respecting modesty is another way nurses can be conscientious.

in health care,

*we should maintain the rights autonomy of the patients,
*improve the qualities of care for a patient,
*ensuring the right to make decision about their own health
*advocy in financial aspect of health care.