Taking a Stand on Patient Advocacy

¶ … Stand/Being a Patient Advocate

Description of the role as a moral agent or advocate for quality and patient safety

The present times are challenging for healthcare workers. Exceptional healthcare system alterations, in the form of financial pressures, regulatory mandates for improving patient safety and care quality, uncertainty of healthcare reforms' direction, technological advances, patient population change and emerging workforce deficiencies, are affecting care in every practice setting. These changes may prove be a challenge to decisions pertaining to resource allocation, and may negatively affect work environment in the health sector (Chiarella & McInnes, 2008).

This paper deals with being a nurse advocate for regulatory agency mandates aimed at improving patient safety and care quality. The nurse advocate's roles here include: presenting to patients the patient rights code of the hospital; handing out the patient rights manual to them; confirming patient understanding regarding who must be approached with concerns or queries; preventing complaints through counseling with managers and supervisors who observe an emerging issue; proposing potential solutions to complaints that may arise; changing practices that cause frequent complaints; hearing complaints from patients and patients' families and documenting them, as well as determining what solution is sought; resolving complaints by lending an ear to clients and families; leading them to supervisors or physicians and assisting them in presenting facts to any supervisor/physician; formulating satisfactory resolutions and ensuring follow-up; alerting hospital administrator and legal department through documentation of unsettled complaints and possible legal actions; improving quality results through analyzing, evaluating, and restructuring patient complaint systems, and applying changes; serving and protecting the health service community resorting to professional standards, local, state and federal standards and requirements, and hospital procedures and policies; and enhancing hospital reputation and patient advocacy by assuming ownership to accomplish different and novel requests; seeking opportunities for adding value to workplace activities (Tomajan, 2012; Chiarella & McInnes, 2008).

Explain one or more negative outcomes that may result if this role is not fulfilled

Medication errors.

Roughly 1.5 million patients in the U.S. suffer adverse effects of medication errors per annum, costing an extra 3.5 billion dollars (approximately) to the U.S. health system, as per Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates. Mayo Clinic is of the view that such errors are primarily communication errors, whether between provider and patient, pharmacist and provider or patient and pharmacist. The occurrence of these adverse events can be reduced with the help of adaptations and innovations (e.g., electronic tools), as well as enhanced patient safety (Almidei, 2010).

Workforce safety.

Clinicians cannot treat patients if they are themselves unwell because of compromised hospital quality and unmonitored patient safety. Guaranteeing safety of both patients and hospital workforce is imperative. This entails the psychological as well as physical safety of workforce. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports, health settings and hospitals are listed among the country's most risky workplaces, with high injury rates (e.g. musculoskeletal issues and injuries through needles) (Almidei, 2010).

Healthcare workers face immense pressures; they are also exposed to misdemeanors, disrespect, disruptive behaviors, and violence far too often. These issues directly affect patient safety, as health workers will only be able to give their best when they are themselves assured of psychological and physical safety (Tomajan, 2012).

Analyze the skills, dispositions, and/or strategies that would help you to fulfill this role.

Problem Solving

Nurse Advocacy focuses on tackling issues or problems that need to be resolved. A majority of advocacy plans require requesting decision makers to take action and manage the given issue. However, prior to getting in touch with decision makers, devoting time towards composing a persuasive request and ascertaining the right individual and time for making the request is important. Having a good sense of timing and being patient is crucial for the outcome to be successful. Most advocacy strategies achieve accomplishment through teamwork, cooperation, and compromise; a sequence of actions may be required over time for achieving the required result (Tomajan, 2012).

Communication:

A majority of advocacy programs involve groups and individuals meeting together and addressing a problem or subject. The communication of advocates should be brief but clear and message be structured to their intended listeners as well as the situation at hand. They should be familiar with written, electronic, and verbal formats. Communication on the issue must be accurate and dependable. It is essential to prepare oneself to converse on the specific data and facts pertaining to the issue, as well as to elucidate how the situation affects intended individuals. Personifying the issue through use of 'word pictures' (which create an image of the issue in an individual's mind) may be helpful, and may make this communication more readily acceptable and persuasive (Amidei, 2010; Olson, 2009).

Influence:

The advocate, in order to resolve some problem or facilitate change, should be capable of inspiring others to take action. Influence arises from capability, authority, and trustworthiness. Bearing in mind others' best interests creates a feeling of believability and trust (Page, 2004). A good advocate sways decision-makers by proper presentation of a case to bring about desired change, supports the case using data and facts, and personifies the issue through persuasive visual imagery. Persuasion constitutes a more powerful kind of influence, employing an argument or appeal for making one's point. Though it works for small progress in an initiative, persuasion may prompt others to be defensive, thereby undermining the initiative's overall success (Almidei, 2010; Tomajan, 2012).

Collaboration:

In addition to demonstrating the above skills, advocates should also forge positive, cooperative associations with others, for garnering support required to tackle the problem. Collaboration stems from trust, credibility and mutual respect. The outcome emerging from collaboration of groups to meet a common purpose may be greater compared to that achieved individually by each group (Page, 2004; Olson, 2009). Fruitful collaboration necessitates careful communication among involved groups, requesting their inputs when needed, and providing reports on the initiative's progress constantly.