Nursing, advocacy and public policy

Abstract

This article draws attention to the nature and importance of public policy. It argues that if nurses are to influence the quality of healthcare effectively, they must be engaged with policymakers to get nursing care issues on the policy agenda. There is an ethical imperative to do so, driven by the advocacy role of the nurse and rooted in the values base of nursing. In addition, it is argued that if one takes the role of patient advocacy seriously, as core to the nursing role, two things are required of nurses: We must (a) broaden the conceptualisation of patient advocacy beyond the individual patient to the system of healthcare resourcing and provision and (b) see systemic change as important as change at the bedside.

Human rights and nutritional care in nurse education: lessons learned

“…45 The necessity that individual nurses recognize how they can achieve 'bottom-up influence' has become increasingly evident. 52,53 Another important finding from this study is that students participating in the coursework expressed awareness of the fact that the right to food cannot be taken for granted in their own country. HRE has been criticized for being a way to point the finger towards others for violating human rights without critical self-reflecting on their own context.…”

Perceptions of Retired Nurses on Factors Preventing Younger Professional Nurses from Applying the Ethos of Ubuntu in Professional Care

“…It is for this reason that they can identify the philosophy of Ubuntu which is lacking among young professional nurses who view nursing as a profession rather than a call ( Havenga et al, 2018 ; Mulaudzi et al, 2009 ). Hence, they advocate for the recognition of nursing as a profession like other professions ( Scott & Scott, 2020 ; Simon et al, 2010 Thoma & Waite, 2018 ).…”

Hand hygiene monitoring technology: A descriptive study of ethics and acceptance in nursing

“…40–42 Changing processes to improve hand hygiene must, therefore, not only start at the individual level, but also tackle systemic problems at the meso and macro levels together with nursing professionals to create conditions under which hand hygiene can be implemented appropriately. 43…”

“…[40][41][42] Changing processes to improve hand hygiene must, therefore, not only start at the individual level, but also tackle systemic problems at the meso and macro levels together with nursing professionals to create conditions under which hand hygiene can be implemented appropriately. 43 Previous theoretical analysis has shown that the design and characteristics of tracking technologies in nursing have a tendency to disrespect or even suppress autonomy in favour of control. 36 Other empirical studies on nurses' attitudes confirm this theoretical perspective.…”