Tendency of Nurses to Undertake the Role of Patient Advocate

Abstract

"This study was designed to evaluate nurses' understanding of implementation of patient rights and their tendency to patient advocacy and to test the adequacy of nursing training on ethics. A questionnaire was developed in the light of the literature data and administered to nurses working as bedside care givers at four hospitals in Kocaeli district (a nearby city of Istanbul). 90% (n=277) of nurses working in these four hospitals responded to the questionnaire. A considerable percentage of nurses believe that patients should have the right to receive health care, the right to self-determination, the right to refuse treatment, the right to know everything about him/herself, the right to have access to medical records, and the right to choose to die. This demonstrates that nurses in our country have considerable insight into contemporary nursing issues and are ready to play a role in patient advocacy."