How nurses advocate for their patients and promote social justice in healthcare
Nurses are invaluable to the healthcare system and vital in ensuring patient wellbeing. Not only do they offer necessary medical treatment, but they also serve as advocates for their patients by making sure that their rights and needs are met.
With the close relationship established with their patients, nurses can use their voices to emphasize social justice initiatives, challenging systemic barriers that impede access to care, such as racism, discrimination and economic disparity. They also have an essential hand in promoting policies that guarantee equal access to care through funding underserved communities or advocating for changes in the healthcare system that promote patient-oriented care.
The need for advocacy in healthcare
Advocacy in healthcare is a vital endeavor that can make all the difference for patients. It involves standing up for and protecting them and advocating for policies that foster wellbeing and health among communities. By advocating for their patients, nurses can help reduce medical errors, strengthen communication between provider and patient, and ensure the latter’s safety.
Barriers to quality care
The barriers to receiving high-quality care can prevent individuals from getting the medical care they need to stay healthy and safeguard their welfare. Common barriers include lack of access to health services, language differences, race and financial constraints. For instance, inhabitants in rural areas may have limited access to medical services, while those without English proficiency might struggle to communicate with healthcare providers.
Disparities in healthcare access and outcomes
The issue of unequal healthcare access and outcomes is a pressing matter in the medical field. These disparities are commonly linked to ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, education and geographical location. For instance, people rooted in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods may lack access to quality health services and suffer poorer health results. Healthcare advocacy plays a critical role in overcoming these discrepancies by promoting policies and practices that foster equitable access to healthcare for all individuals.
The impact of social determinants of health
Social determinants of health, such as income, education, employment and housing, significantly influence an individual’s health outcomes. For example, impoverished people may lack access to nutritious food and secure housing, raising their likelihood of chronic illnesses. Healthcare advocacy can reduce the effect of social determinants of health by encouraging policies and actions that tackle these social factors and advance health equity.
Strategies for advocacy
Below are some strategies that nurses can use to advocate for their patients effectively.
- Patient-centered care
Patient-centered care is an approach that emphasizes listening to and understanding each patient, allowing them to be part of decisions about their treatment, and providing individualized care tailored to their requirements. By paying attention to the concerns and preferences of individuals, nurses can offer quality healthcare that meets their exact needs.
- Communication skills
Effective communication is critical for being a great advocate. Nurses must be consistently sharp in their conversations with patients, their family and healthcare workers. This includes attentively listening to others, having great empathy, and knowing just the correct language and tone to use.
- Ethical decision-making
Nurses need to be well-equipped to handle ethical dilemmas in the healthcare system. To do this effectively, they must comprehend and skillfully utilize moral maxims such as autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence in real-life scenarios.
- Cultural competence
Healthcare providers must possess cultural competence to serve individuals from varying backgrounds effectively. This includes attaining a deep understanding of the values, beliefs and practices particular to different cultures and adapting healthcare services to meet each patient’s specific needs. Appreciating cultural differences is also essential for proper advocacy, as patients are more likely to listen to and adopt recommendations from those who understand their cultural identity.
- Collaboration with other healthcare professionals
Working with other healthcare professionals is crucial for successful advocacy endeavors. This includes collaborating with doctors, social workers, pharmacists and others to meet patient requirements and foster equitable health outcomes. Through collaborative efforts, nurses can ensure that patients receive comprehensive, integrated care, which directly contributes to better results.
The role of nurses in promoting social justice
Below are some ways that nurses can be instrumental in promoting social justice.
- Addressing healthcare disparities
Addressing healthcare disparities is essential, as they often result in a wide range of poor health outcomes due to different factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, race and geographic location. As crucial stakeholders in pursuing health equity, nurses can proactively advocate for equitable policies and practices. Additionally, nurses should champion efforts to remove barriers that prevent fair access to care – for instance, by promoting transportation and language services. Furthermore, professional efforts should also extend toward increasing health literacy among vulnerable populations to enable them to manage their health easily.
- Advocating for vulnerable populations
Nurses are essential in advocating for the needs of vulnerable populations, including those in low-income households, immigrants and homeless individuals. Part of this advocacy includes supporting initiatives that address the social determinants of health, such as securing access to affordable housing and healthy food.
- Promoting health equity
Health equity is all individuals’ fundamental right to optimal health and wellbeing. To that end, nurses are powerful agents of positive change, advocating for legislation and initiatives to benefit those most vulnerable in society, including people enduring discrimination, poverty and limited access to healthcare.
- Addressing implicit bias in healthcare
Many people are often unaware of the unconscious attitudes and preconceived notions they hold that can significantly influence their behavior and decisions. Nurses can counter such implicit biases by increasing their general knowledge in areas related to cultural competency and diversity, engaging with colleagues to combat discrimination at work, and advocating for policies and initiatives that guarantee equity and impartiality in the healthcare field.
Examples of ways that nurses can advocate for patients and promote social justice
Case example 1: Advocating for a patient’s right to informed consent
Patients must be equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare. When the individual in this case was slated for surgery without being provided an adequate overview of both the potential risks and merits associated with such an operation, a nurse stepped in to champion the individual’s right to receive informed consent. The nurse corroborated with other medical personnel to ensure that all essential information was made available to the patient before a decision had to be made.
Case example 2: Advocating for a patient’s right to access healthcare services
Ensuring access to healthcare services is critical for a person’s physical and emotional wellbeing. In this particular instance, a patient was unable to receive the medical attention they required due to financial constraints. The individual expressed their worry about how to handle their condition without any assistance. To that end, the nurse advocated on their behalf, connecting them with resources to cover their healthcare expenses.
Case example 3: Addressing healthcare disparities in a vulnerable population
A nurse in a community health center recognized the lack of healthcare services available to those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable individuals. To rectify this issue, they advocated for increased access to healthcare services by collaborating with community organizations and medical providers and implementing policies and practices that address social determinants of health, such as housing and employment, that could influence the overall wellbeing of these individuals.
Challenges to advocacy and social justice in healthcare
There are several challenges that nurses may face in advocacy and social justice in healthcare.
- Organizational barriers
Due to organizational roadblocks, nurses often face difficulties advocating for patients and enacting positive change. Such challenges may come in the form of policies and procedures that do not adhere to best practices or where profitability overrides the needs of patients. Such challenges require nurses to be diligent in their efforts to navigate these barriers for the greater good.
- Limited resources
Another challenge to advocacy and social justice in healthcare is limited resources. Nurses may find it challenging to provide equitable care when resources are scarce, such as in underserved communities or during times of crisis. This may lead to rationing of care or prioritization of certain patients over others.
- Resistance to change
One of the most significant obstacles facing healthcare proponents of social justice is resistance to change. Healthcare providers and organizations may hesitate to adopt new policies or practices, even if they are based on scientific evidence and conform to recognized best practices. This reluctance might arise from a lack of understanding or awareness, fear of the unfamiliar, or a preference for the existing system.
How advancing education can help nurses overcome challenges to advocacy and social justice in healthcare
Continued education for nurses is an indispensable resource for enabling them to confront the obstacles of advocacy and social justice in medical services. By furthering their studies, nurses can grow more familiar with the systems-wide issues of inequality and discrimination and learn methods to overcome them. Moreover, it equips them with the competence to work within intricate healthcare systems, partner with diversified teams, and push for reform within their establishments.
By pursuing advanced education opportunities, such as Walsh University’s online DNP FNP program, nurses gain the ability to optimize scarce resources, prioritize care for disadvantaged communities, make well-informed decisions on patient triage, devise innovative ways to cope with resource scarcity, and advocate for legislation that ensures equitable distribution of resources.
Additionally, advanced education enables nurses to acquire the skills necessary to successfully counteract opposition to change. This may include articulating firmly yet compassionately with colleagues, holding conversations around contentious topics, and forming consensus on new procedures and regulations.
Conclusion
Nurses have an undeniable power to bring about social change through their actions both in the clinical setting and outside of it. They must be mindful of their responsibility to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for everyone, regardless of identity or financial standing. By taking proactive steps to challenge and eliminate disparities, nurses can create a better future for all individuals.
