How Nurses Help to Enforce Policies that Benefit Patients

How Nurses Help to Enforce Policies that Benefit Patients

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Of course, nurses should advocate and enforce policies that benefit nurses.  Nurses are in direct contact with patients and their health issues; they can provide patient justice through advocacy (Davoodvand, Abbaszadeh & Ahmadi, 2016). Additionally, nurses are the first patients’ advocates whilst connecting them with the healthcare system. According to Davoodvand, Abbaszadeh, and Ahmadi (2016), nurses are patients’ representatives, and as such, they should advocate for defending, supporting decisions, and safeguarding their interests.  Similarly, Neutzling, Barlem, Barlem, Hirsch, Pereira, and Schallenberguer (2017) demonstrate that patient advocacy is important in healthcare settings, especially for hospitalized patients.

How Nurses Help to Enforce Policies that Benefit Patients

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Evidence demonstrates that while previously patient advocacy emphasized safeguarding patients against illegal and unethical actions, this has taken a wide range of dimensions (Neutzling et al., 2016). For that reason, nurses have to enforce policies beneficial to patients. For instance, nurses can enforce policies addressing systematic challenges of care. Research also shows that as patient advocates, nurses must enact policies that protect patients during hospitalization (Neutzling et al., 2016).  Essentially, hospitalization is stressful not only for the patients but also for their families. Hospitalization also hinders patients’ involvement in routine activities. Hence, enforcing workplace policies can protect hospitalized patients’ rights to facilitate effective treatment and conditions for care while reducing stress related to hospitalization.

However, nurses should exercise advocacy in the workplace by orienting families regarding their patients’ rights. With this understanding, families can demand what is right and prevent patient harm. Therefore, since patient advocacy is important in workplaces, enforcing policies presents nurses an opportunity to safeguard patients’ from undesired medical interventions, freeing patients from unnecessary treatment and patient education.  Education would also help patients be actively involved in decision-making about treatment and care to improve health outcomes (Neutzling et al., 2016).

How Nurses Help to Enforce Policies that Benefit Patients

References

Davoodvand, S., Abbaszadeh, A., & Ahmadi, F. (2016). Patient advocacy from the clinical nurses’ viewpoint: A qualitative study. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of           Medicine, 9. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958925/

Neutzling, B. R. D. S., Barlem, J. G. T., Barlem, E. L. D., Hirsch, C. D., Pereira, L. A., &             Schallenberguer, C. D. (2017). Defending the rights of children in a hospital setting:             Nurses’ advocacy in health. Escola Anna Nery, 21(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/1414- 8145.20170025

By admin in Blog on September 24, 2022