Who Will Be the Patient Advocate on a Multidisciplinary Team?

摘要

How do we achieve these rights and improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of our personal health care? There is a growing movement wherein individuals most often termed patient advocates (Advocates) assist patients in their interactions with HCPs and navigation of the health care system. In some instances, they provide support to employer health plans. This Advocate role is different from the conventional notion of patient advocacy, which is regarded as a special calling of nursing and is incorporated into nursing ethics. In fact, all members of the health care team regard themselves as advocates for the patient's best interests. These Advocates have no division between their loyalties to the patient and the hospital for which nurses, doctors, and pharmacists work. The Advocate is solely the representative of the patient and acts in accord with the patient's values and wishes.