Question
2. After choosing a topic, find three articles from professional nursing journals on your topic (no older than 5 years).
3. Your paper (no more than 3 pages for the body of the paper) must include a title page and reference page (total pages max of 5).
4. The paper must be formatted according to the most current APA guidelines.
5. See the Grading Grid for specifics that should be covered in your paper.
6. Two points per school day will be deducted for each day the paper is late.
Topic Paper Grading Rubric Possible Points Points Earned
Reviews chosen topic and explains why it is important to the practice of nursing. 10 points
Identifies and explain how this topic supports the ANA Code of Ethics. 10 points
Include consequences to patients and/or profession of nursing if the section of the Code of Ethics your topic pertains to is not upheld. 8 points
Describe the impact this information will have on your nursing practice. How will you implement what you learned? 5 points
Correct citation and format according to APA Publication Manual 6th edition. 5 points
Sources are from professional nursing journals and less than five years old. Typed, grammar appropriate, correct spelling, three pages maximum. 2 points
Total Points
Answer
Patient Advocacy
Contents
Importance of Patient Advocacy. 2
Patient Advocacy and the ANA Code of Ethics. 3
Consequences of Patient Advocacy and Code of Ethics Non-Compliance. 4
Introduction
Advocacy is the process that aims to influence and alter decision-making and structures within political, economic and social structures of organizations and governments. Patient advocacy is specific to efforts aimed at advocating for the needs of patients, health providers and everyone involved in the health care delivery process. The main points of focus in patient advocacy include patient rights, privacy, education and awareness, as well as support for patients and caregivers. This paper will demonstrate the importance of patient advocacy in nursing, identify its relationship with the American Nurse Association (ANA) Code of Ethics and describe its impact on nursing practice.
Importance of Patient Advocacy
Firstly, patient advocacy is typically integrated in the basic nursing training and highlighted as one of a nurse’s primary duties. The basic underlying concepts entail access to information and protection of the patient’s rights (Choi, 2014). In a nutshell, the nurse is charged with the responsibility of sourcing, providing and ensuring comprehension of information by the patient. In reference to patient’s rights, the nurse must understand that the patient has the right to make choices over his/her life and actions. Therefore, the patient is considered the final decision-maker in his/her own health.
The most common barriers to nursing advocacy include conflicts of interest, poor communication and power imbalances (Gonzalez & Maryland, 2012). It is important for nurses to look for strategies for maneuvering these barriers for effective patient advocacy. These solutions must revolve around effective communication and understanding of organizational structure in regards to advocacy.
Overcoming these barriers ensures extensive patient advocacy which promotes the quality of life, creates structure in the healthcare system, regulates the nursing practice and ensures responsibility or ownership by both the caregiver and the patient (Gonzalez & Maryland, 2012). In this way, both nurses and patients are able to make decisions geared towards health and safety and must take full responsibility for those decisions. This allows for some kind of freedom in health provision while reducing the traditional restrictions of health care.
Patient Advocacy and the ANA Code of Ethics
Patient advocacy has particularly been integrated into the ANA code of ethics whereby the nurse is directed to protect the health and rights of the patient. The code of ethics stipulates the core pillars of advocacy as: patient equality, protecting human dignity or life and eliminating patient suffering (Turner & Epstein, 2014).
First of all, patient equality has been placed at the forefront in nursing practice owing to diversity among patients as well as the technological and funding differences within the healthcare system. Nurses interact with patients at an interpersonal level which contributes greatly to recovery in regards to the nature of this interaction. The code of ethics regulates care and ensures that nurses provide the same level of care and help to all patients regardless of their personal inclinations, backgrounds, ethnicity or preferences. In essence, this requirement serves to protect the patients’ right to dignity and care.
Secondly, the code of ethics addresses the value of protecting human dignity for both the patient and his/her family members during the delivery of care. This goal requires effective communication skills on the part of nurses to ensure effective relaying of information to the patients in spite of cultural and language barriers (Turner & Epstein, 2015). The nurse must carefully balance what is essentially a fine line between organizational provisions and patient’s rights to privacy.
The third requirement is that of the nurses’ responsibility to reduce and ultimately eliminate suffering among patients by providing medication and emotional support. This obligation extends to the patients’ family members based on the need to answer questions in a way that does not exacerbate their preexisting psychological or emotional pressures.
Overall, a nurse assumes different patient advocacy roles at all the stages of healthcare: as a health provider, as a communicator, and information provider (Tariman & Mallari 2016). To effectively carry out their responsibilities and ultimately improve human health while promoting healthy life, nurses need to undertake these multifaceted role with diligence, commitment and directed passion.
Consequences of Patient Advocacy and Code of Ethics Non-Compliance
The absence of patient advocacy normally leads to severe consequences for both the patient and the nurse. In the nursing profession, the situation leads to a direct breach of the ANA code of ethics and by extension, undesirable outcomes such as violation of nurses’ and patients’ rights (Choi, 2014). Moreover, the resulting reduction in the quality of care offered contributes poor levels of care across the healthcare sector. In regards to the patients, a number of negative outcomes may occur, including physical and emotional suffering, loss of human dignity and respect and even the loss of life. A notable long-term effect is the loss of faith in the health care system which then contributes to the loss of financial and structural support thereby plunging the health sector into crisis.
Impact on Nursing Practice
The ANA code of ethics serves as the foundation for nursing practice in both clinical and non-clinical matters in America. I am aware of this situation, and this is why I always endeavor to remain conscious of the requirements of the code in regards to patient advocacy. The code’s provisions always serve to direct my nursing practice by guiding my actions in terms of ethical performance, effective communication and protection of human life. It rules on patient advocacy enable me to carry out my health optimization responsibilities with valor. The guidelines play a vital role in propelling my practice into evidence-based approaches aimed at applying knowledge properly in order to deliver beneficial care. Lastly, I continue to benefit from the patient advocacy component’s immense potential to protect nurses’ right to information, decision-making, and self-expression while at work.
Conclusion
Patient advocacy is of utmost importance to both patients and nurses in contemporary healthcare contexts. As such, the ANA code of ethics serves as a crucial reference point in health care and nursing provision thereby contributing to quality care across communities. It should be exercised in a manner that addresses the physical, emotional, psychological and financial factors affecting the actions of nurses, patients, and their family members. Adopting its provisions will go a long way in enabling the health sector to move towards sustainable reform and improvement in efforts to protect human life.
References
Choi, P. P. (2014). Patient Advocacy: The role of the nurse. Nursing Standard, 29(41), 52-58.
Gonzalez, R. & Maryland, M. (2012). Patient advocacy in the community and legislative arena. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1), 2-5.
Tariman, J. & Mallari, M. (2016). Ethical Frameworks for Decision-Making in Nursing Practice and Research: An Integrative Review. DePaul Online Journal of Nursing Research. 2, 11-19.
Turner, M & Epstein, B. (2015). The nursing code of ethics: Its value, its history. The Online Journal o Issues in Nursing, 20(2), 4-9.
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