What is Patient Advocacy?

A patient advocate can act as a liaison between patients and doctors and who can plead the cause of another. They help inform patients so that they can better understand their diagnosis and make the best decisions about their health. Patient advocates may work privately for individuals or may work with health care institutions.

Patient Advocate Services

Patient advocates give a voice to patients, survivors and their caregivers within the health care arena. Typical advocates help with patient rights, matters of privacy, confidentiality or informed consent, patient representation, building awareness, support and education of patients, survivors and their caregivers.

A patient advocate may be present for health care appointments and alert the health care provider to patient compliance issues. They may separately assist the health care provider and support staff with potential issues and communication.

Patient Advocate Qualifications

By professional background, patient advocates are often former doctors, nurses, or other trained health care professionals who have re-focused to help patients in their decision-making.

Alternatively, the advocate may be a case manager in the field of health care or social work, and/or whose specialty may be to navigate the bureaucracy of large health plans or government-provided services. Patient advocacy services can also include transition assistance to older patients moving into assisted living and nursing homes.

Coordinating Care Through Patient Advocates

The patient advocate may also assist with family communication on issues arising from illness or injury. This may include further referral for care and support for both patients and families. The patient advocate has a responsibility for awareness of compliance, appropriateness, and coordination of care for the patient, such as oversight for potentially conflicting treatment modalities and medications and to review the patient’s health care record for correctness and explaining it to the patient.

How Can a Patient Advocate Help?

The main role of the patient advocate is to help reduce unnecessary anxiety and fear and this can result in more successful treatment. In the end the patient advocate is there to assure that the patient is always kept safe and well-informed, never abandoned, or misled during the process.

The health care system can be confusing, particularly from the standpoint of an individual who needs care and doesn’t have the presence of mind to navigate the details.

Broad Street can help. For all clients, we provide nurse oversight for our CNA’s. In addition, through our Professional Network we can provide advocacy through Case Managers, Social Workers and Nurse Advocates.

For more information, please call 847.728.0134.

Sources:

http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/what-exactly-is-patient-advocacy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_advocacy