One of our oaths as a Registered Nurse is to exercise patient advocacy, however, due to the healthcare shortage, high acuity and facilities primarily focused on their profit margin a Registered Nurse may often feel they are restricted from providing just that – Patient Advocacy. It is quite often we encounter a patient who is without family and friends or perhaps they are miles to countries away relying on communication from the Interdisciplinary Team with hopes the information provided is a true presentation of the patient.
Personally experiencing loved ones in the medical and hospice setting led myself to the nursing realm with work experience in the fields of Neuroscience, Medical-Surgical, Behavioral Health, Long Term Acute Care, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Centers, Palliative, Hospice, Wound Care, Dementia / Alzheimer’s and Education. Nurses often chose a certification within their working specialty, but none were of personal interest until the Certification of Patient Advocacy was established. The opportunity to empower individuals through assistance, research, guidance, providing resources and education correlated with my personal values as a Registered Nurse.
As a Registered Nurse I have witnessed many events where patient advocacy is an increasing need to include early discharges resulting in readmittance with health declination, hasty surgeries with adverse effects, improper in-home care from family due to lack of knowledge regarding care techniques and necessities, misuse of a brain stimulator to conserve battery life resulting in an altered mental status and inaccurate reporting via the Interdisciplinary Team resulting in early admission and fall.
As a Patient Advocate, I have assisted those in need of end-of-life care to assure they are comfortable and pass with dignity and respect per their religious beliefs and personal desires. Medication Reconciliation has been completed to clean the cabinet so to speak, to assure medications are appropriate, compatible and the expired removed from the equation. Care plans and physician orders have been reviewed after an initial assessment to assure the patient is in compliance and all needs regarding disorders and treatments have been addressed. Collaboration with the individual has been completed to assess their potential questions of the physician and realistic goals which results in a more productive visit leaving both the individual and physician satisfied with their time.
After entering the era of COVID, I additionally realized if I’m going to be a Patient Advocate for someone else I should absolutely be a Patient Advocate for myself; so there created Charge d’affaires Advocacy. As a Patient Advocate our goal is to offer the opportunity to improve an individual’s healthcare journey, providing education regarding a disorder, medication or procedure, perhaps improve the final outcome or to assure the safety and comfort for the patient resulting in a more satisfying experience within the healthcare system. Who’s your Patient Advocate?
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