Advocacy in healthcare

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Advocacy

Advocacy in healthcare refers to measures that can be taken by healthcare professionals to improve the quality of healthcare and ensure that it is delivered in a way that is in the best interests of patients. According to Young, Mitsuishi, and Tong (2012), there are a variety of threats that patients face while in hospitals, including the possibility of injury, and infections as a result of the use of ineffective health procedures. Through advocacy, the needs of patients can be comprehensively addressed in ways that will reduce the possibility of patients being harmed while in a healthcare setting.

Advocacy is however rarely taught in most healthcare professions, which mostly focus on technical knowledge and best practices. As a result, most healthcare professionals do not know how they can effectively address certain patient needs that they may come across. Advocacy is also difficult to implement in healthcare due to the fact that the needs of groups of patients are rarely identified and attended to, as healthcare professionals tend to focus on individuals. Through training and education however, different professionals in a healthcare environment can be taught to effectively advocate for the needs of different patient groups in ways that can improve their healthcare experience. Key areas that may need advocacy can be identified and different healthcare professionals can be trained on how they effectively address needs that they may identify. Advocacy training can be carried out in a healthcare institution as well as in technical training programs. Generally, when effectively conducted, advocacy can aid in significantly improving the patient experience and protecting patients from harm that can result from the implementation of ineffective procedures in a healthcare setting.