2008 NIWI Essay Winner
The Link Between Patient Advocacy and Voter Participation
Zennoma Richardson
Abstract
Nurses make up a large percentage of the voting population, however many will not vote in the next election because they do not believe their vote will make a difference. Nurses make lifesaving and life-altering decisions for their patients everyday by being an advocate. The role of nurse advocate is a crucial one that has a significant influence on our health care system. However, it will take a team oriented, united front approach to ensure that change happens.
The Link between Patient Advocacy and Voter Participation
Florence Nightingale, the "founder of modern nursing," once said, "I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results." Like Nightingale, the forefathers of this country placed a high value on what was actionable. In doing so, they established voting, the D.S. Constitution and a democratic society. It is my belief that "actions which bring results," is best illustrated when patient advocacy transcends daily nurse patient interaction to reach the community-at-large. However, this challenge can only be met by voter participation.
John's Hopkins Nursing Magazine (2007) states that, "one out of every forty-five registered voters is a nurse." This means that 2.8M voters have assumed the role of patient care advocate. Yet many nurses will choose not to vote in the upcoming elections because they do not see how voting will affect change. If we consult the American Nurses Association (ANA), a leader in nursing practice, we will see that nursing is defined as the "protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations." (Bucher, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Lewis and O'Brien, 2007, p.3). If 2.8M voters are nurses as defined by the ANA, don't these nurses have a responsibility to their patients to be an advocate, both in and outside of hospital walls?
It is no surprise that nurses playa leading role in health care. According to USA today's annual Gallup poll on professional honesty and ethical standards, "nurses ranked number one in terms of public respect." However, the more than ten-year shortage of nurses in education, hospitals and those with advanced degrees has created a major nursing deficit and has compromised our health care system.
In August 2002, the collaborative voices of nurses around the country were heard when President Bush signed federal legislature to enact the Nurse Reinvestment Act, introduced to the House of Representatives by Rep Lois Capps (D-California), a registered nurse. (AORN, 2002). This act alone provided 98M in grants, loan reimbursements, scholarships and educational incentives for students and practicing nurses. More importantly, this act proved that nurses do indeed have a voice, which can be heard even on the steps of Washington.
When a patient makes the decision to leave the hospital Against Medical Advice (AMA) because he doesn't have insurance to pay for a test and is afraid he will lose his job; it is the nurse who advocates. When a single mother needs life saving surgery and begs for her four year-old daughter to be able to stay with her, because they have no other family; it is the nurse who advocates.
As "the largest group of health care providers," (Abood, 2007) nurses are in a unique position to affect patient outcomes, because they have first-hand experience with the impact of health care policies on direct patient care. Furthermore, the State Board of Nursing has equipped nurses with the power to be instrumental in nursing practice, policy and the health care community. (Abood, 2007).
The sick and indigent depend on the dedication and commitment of nurses to protect and preserve their rights, not just as patients but also as human beings. Advocacy should not end with daily patient interactions but should instead encompass all patients, on a national scale. When nurses work together to advocate for the best interest of all patients they send the message that they will not sit back while onlookers in Washington call orders from the sidelines.
The collective voice of 2.8M nurse voters is a dynamic conduit by which change in our country's health care system can occur. These empowered nurses from various backgrounds and levels of socio-economic status demonstrate their commitment to making a difference each election, by enacting their right to vote; the only "action which brings results." (Nightingale).
References
Abood, S. (2007, January 07). Influencing health care in the legislative arena.
[Electronic version]. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12.
Bell, B. (2002, October). Nurse reinvestment act. AORN. Retrieved on November 15,2007
from http://ndarticles.com/p/articles/mi mOFSL/is 4 76/ai 93069854
Bucher, L., Dirksen, S., Heitkemper, M., & O'Brien, P. (2007). Concepts in nursing practice.
In Medical surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems. (7th 00. p.3).
St. Louis, MO: Mosby
Nursing seen as most ethical occupation. USA Today, 8A. Retrieved on November 18,2007
from http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=25888&pg=1