How nurses can advocate for their patients
“Advocating for patients is within [nursing’s] mission,” according to Susan Perkins, MSN, a nurse practice consultant who teaches in the nursing program at the University of Phoenix® Main Campus. She stresses that nurses should ask patients open questions to help determine their specific needs, and then go to bat for them when necessary.
But sometimes, circumstances can make patient advocacy difficult, says Lorie Brown, JD, a registered nurse and practicing attorney specializing in health care law, who also holds a Master of Nursing degree.
