Assignment Prompt & Instructions
You should respond to both discussions separately–with constructive literature material- extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts.
Minimum 150 words each reply.
Incorporate a minimum of 2 current (published within the last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles should be referenced according to the current APA style (the online library has an abbreviated version of the APA Manual).
Discussion 1:
Advocacy is a cornerstone of nursing practice, particularly in concierge medicine, where the emphasis is on personalized, patient-centered care. Concierge nurses have the unique ability to form strong relationships with patients, allowing them to advocate for preventive care, holistic wellness, and improved coordination of services. Unlike traditional healthcare settings, where time constraints often limit patient interactions, concierge medicine provides nurses with more opportunities to advocate for optimal patient outcomes. Below are two key examples of advocacy in concierge nursing practice.
**Advocacy for Preventive and Holistic Care**
In my nursing practice (concierge medicine), I advocate for preventive care by emphasizing lifestyle modifications, early screenings, and wellness programs tailored to the individual patient’s needs. Unlike traditional healthcare settings where appointments may be rushed, concierge nurses can educate and empower patients on preventive strategies. For example, I may notice that a patient has risk factors for cardiovascular disease but has not undergone recent lipid screenings. By advocating for early intervention, I collaborate with the physician to order the necessary tests, provide dietary and exercise counseling, and follow up with the patient regularly to ensure adherence to lifestyle changes. Research supports that proactive, patient-centered care models improve health outcomes and reduce hospitalizations (Klein et al., 2022).
**Advocacy for Care Coordination and Patient Autonomy**
Concierge medicine often caters to patients with complex, chronic conditions who require seamless coordination across multiple specialists. In this setting, I act as a patient advocate by ensuring that referrals, follow-ups, and treatments are streamlined and that patients fully understand their options. For instance, if a patient with chronic Lyme disease expresses frustration over conflicting treatment recommendations from different specialists, I can step in as an advocate by facilitating collaborative discussions among providers. I would ensure that the patient’s preferences and concerns are addressed, helping them make informed decisions about their care. Studies indicate that strong care coordination improves patient satisfaction and reduces medical errors (Huang et al., 2023).
**Conclusion**
In concierge medicine, nurses, like me, play an essential role in advocating for preventive health strategies and coordinating patient-centered care. By focusing on education, early intervention, and seamless communication, I can help enhance patient outcomes and foster trust and empowerment in healthcare relationships.
**References**
Klein, S., Hostetter, M., & McCarthy, D. (2022). _The role of concierge medicine in improving patient outcomes: A review of personalized healthcare models_. Journal of Patient-Centered Care, 17(4), 245-259.
Huang, B., Patel, S., & Singh, R. (2023). _Advancing care coordination in personalized medicine: A nursing perspective_. International Journal of Integrated Healthcare, 28(1), 15-32.
Discussion 2:
Nursing is one of the most trusted and respected professions of today due to various attributes including advocacy. Advocacy is characterized by acting to endorse a
cause, however advocacy in nursing is far more than that. Patients frequently look to nurses as advocates to assist them in benefit to their health and support to assert their
rights when developing and carrying out a plan of care. Nurses must aim for balance when providing patient care and practice advocacy keeping in mind the four primary
ethical tenets which are beneficence, justice, autonomy, and non-maleficence (Haddad, 2023). Advocacy may vary depending on the setting of practice, for instance, a
nurse in community health would advocate for the general wellbeing of a community (Mason, Gardner, Outlaw & O'Grady, 2016).
**Advocacy**
As an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, many of the patient’s we treat may have severe limitations to communicate or express their wishes. In the ICU and other clinical
settings, patients are typically at risk for complications or injury due to the complexity of their disease process or due to their lack of knowledge about the seriousness of
their sickness (Nsiah, Siakwa & Ninnoni, 2019). Two essential ways of advocacy that I’ve seen in such practice to achieve optimal patient outcomes are, promoting patient
safety and encouraging effective communication. For instance, a patient that is admitted with a significantly large abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that is refusing
surgical intervention must be closely monitored with blood pressure and heart rate parameters as well as fall preventions to avoid a sudden rupture of such; we can all also
see in this scenario that the patient practiced autonomy by making their decision of not proceeding with surgical intervention. Nurses serve as liaison between
interdisciplinary teams, patients, family, and other resources which is achieved through effective communication due to closeness of treatment between the nurse and the
patient. Effective communication in nursing is beneficial from preventative medicine to end-of-life care. The nurse may sometimes have to be the voice of the patient
while advocating for them and may be required to discuss any requirements the patient may have with the physician to consult other providers or resources (Nsiah, Siakwa
& Ninnoni, 2019). Effective communication is necessary not only between providers and resources, but it must also be present amongst family members and loved ones.
Family must be included, updated, and educated on the plan of care for informed decisions to be made. Advocacy for achieving effective communication and safety is
intertwined, as detailed information is efficiently provided to patient’s, providers, and loved ones, awareness of safety grows which in turn prevents complications.
**Conclusion**
Patient advocacy reduces the tasks of nurses, establishes that patients receive quality treatment, leads to faster recoveries, and reduces the strain on the healthcare system.
Encouraging patient safety and effective communication are positive inputs to aim for optimal patient, it is every nurses responsibility to be an advocate for every patient.
**References**
Haddad, L. M. (2023, August 14). _Nursing ethical considerations_. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. T. (2016a). _Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care_. Elsevier.
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. P. K. (2019). Registered Nurses' description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. _Nursing open_, _6_(3), 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307
– 2 years ago