Introduction to Patient Advocacy

Advocacy is defined as “the act or process of pleading for, supporting, or recommending.” Consequently, patient advocacy would be defined as “the act or process of pleading for, supporting, or recommending [advice] to a patient.” Knowing that advocacy is the process, the means by which a patient is supported, it is important to ask why they are needed. The necessity for patient advocacy rises when due to illness an individual’s self-rule, in other words autonomy, and the ability to make sound decisions are affected. Unable to take crucial decisions in their health care, patients are left vulnerable in the complex system and often fall through the cracks. For example Suzanne C. Beyea, author of Patient Advocacy Nurses Keeping Patients Safe, states an advocate is most needed when a patient is undergoing surgery or is too ill to function as his or her own advocate. She presents a scenario in which a patient discovers his bone tissue had been removed during a surgery even though he had explicitly spoken to his physician not to remove any bone. Once this patient was sedated and in surgery, no one served as his advocate and his wishes were ignored.  Similarly, many other clinicians independently decide what is in the best favor of their patient instead of cumulatively considering the desires of their patients. Thus patient advocates plead for and support the choices of patients. In addition, the American Hospital Association has put forth a document entitled Patient’s Bill of Rights in which it clearly states that “activities must be conducted with an overriding concern for the patient, and above all, the recognition of his dignity as a human being." However, patients are not the only ones who need advocates. According to Kathryn Schroeter, author of Ethics in Perioperative Practice Patient Advocacy, patient’s family members also need an advocate throughout the perioperative time. Oftentimes family members are highly dependent on their patient’s health care provider, placing complete trust in their decision making. Advocates for family members make sure the family’s concerns, voices, and preferences are heard and abided by alongside the decisions of the physician.

After establishing what is patient advocacy and why patient advocates are needed, it is important to question and explore who is able to become an advocate and how, what ethical issues stem from patient advocacy, and what sort of political issues surface as well. Furthermore how do institutions such as clinics, hospitals, and advocacy centers deal with patient advocacy. In the upcoming weeks these aspects of patient advocacy will be discussed in further detail.