Pros And Cons Of Being A Patient Advocate

However, what if the actual patient is unsure what their wants or needs are? Can the nurse educate the patient without persuading them to their point of view? Can the nurse educate the patient without disrespecting the patient’s cultural values? With this being said, what are the consequences for the nurse if they advocate for the patient who is clearly in opposition to the health care professional and the family of the patient (Park, 2003)?

Nurses are required to protect and support their patients if they are to be an efficient patient advocate. Ethically questionable situations are quite common for nurses that conflict with their professionals and personal morals. At times, the patient necessitates the nurse to speak out for them demonstrating

moral courage. These instances can occur in conflict situations that are highly charged, in the face where loyalties are conflicted, or when the patient's rights are being abused (Austin et al., 2005). The purpose of this paper is to describe the role as a moral agent for a nursing issue, explain the negative outcomes that may result if the role is not fulfilled, strategies that would be of assistance for success, and the motivation for taking a stand even if the surrounding environment is difficult.
The changes in health care over the past years have produced progressively difficult moral and ethical dilemmas, some of which may request nurses to display moral courage. Dealing with these issues is never easy but nurses are ultimately accountable for providing the best possible care for their patients. Nurses must be firm on upholding their ethical responsibilities to advocate for their patient’s best interest even though it is challenging (Austin et al., 2005). The tremendous amount of research conducted on moral agency points out the need for conversation in the workplace for nurses in all roles and across every different setting. Hopefully, this will allow nurses to commit to working towards an environment that supports and values moral agency and moral courage.