Advocating in nursing involves intervening, being mindful of cultural differences, caring for DNR patients, and helping all patients make informed decisions (“Ch. 6 4205 Evidence-Based Practice”, n.d.). As a working nurse I have encountered the problem of medications essential to the patient’s health not being on their insurance plan’s formulary. Often times if the medication is not preferred or has a generic substitute the patient will be responsible for the full retail price. The price can be in the thousands, and on top of medical bills the full price is not something that they can afford. Many patients do not understand how their insurance works so I work to make sure they have a general understanding of how their plans will work, especially with their prescriptions.
Patients and their families are often scared and confused about what is happening around them. According to Choi, professional competence is required for effective advocacy (2015), and I make sure to stay up-to-date on all aspects of my practice to ensure that I can properly educate my patients. I make a point to go over every treatment option, including risks and evidence-based results so that they have a full understanding about each treatment plan in order to make the best decision for them. I’ve found this to be extremely successful for reducing the level of stress patients and their families feel, and it gives them a sense of control over their well-being. This sense of control encourages them to be self-sufficient.
In regards to EBP, I’ve had some mixed emotions. In the nursing practice there have been a multitude of barriers preventing the use of EBP (Stevens, 2013), but after reading this module it is clear that evidence-based practice is essential for promoting patient safety, and can be done without interfering with the nurse-patient relationship.
In my community there is currently a problem with the West Nile virus, which has been detected in a recent mosquito pool. To protect the citizens in the community, I can educate them about how to reduce their risk for exposure through correspondence and educational training. I can propose that the educational training take place in the school and workplace by a set of nurses. By working alongside the healthcare team, we can determine which plan will yield the best results and implement that into our strategy to prevent West Nile outbreaks.
- Ch. 6 4205 Evidence-Based Practice, Advocacy, & Bill of Rights. N.p.: n.p., n.d. PPT.
- Choi, Pin Pin. “Patient Advocacy: The Role of the Nurse.” Nursing Standard 29.41 (2015): 52-58. Web.
- Stevens, Kathleen R. “The Impact of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and the Next Big Ideas.” The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 18 (2013): n. pag. Web.
