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Advocating is about speaking up when a problem goes unnoticed. Nurses are responsible for the trust patients put in them. Know Your Patient’s Needs
The first step in successfully advocating for your patient revolves around knowing your patient’s wants and needs. If you are advocating for advanced life support and the patient does not wish to be resuscitated, you are not advocating for your patient. You need to know what the patient needs in that moment, from the resources available to you. This can sometimes be as clear-cut as needing pain medication for a patient who is clearly uncomfortable. At other times it may be more complex. For example, a patient may not want to be resuscitated, but is facing resistance from their family. Knowing your patient’s needs means knowing both the medical background, and your patient. This means that you will have to get to know them to understand what is unique about them and what they would want you to do for them.