Advocacy and the health professional role

[Extract] Advocacy can extend across all interactions. However, in healthcare it can form an integral part of the care we give to patients or the community. For most healthcare professionals, professional regulations and societal laws bind the scope of practice concerning advocacy. In this chapter, advocacy is defined and applied to individuals and community situations. The role of the health professional regarding advocacy is delineated and challenges to this role are highlighted and discussed. The position of social justice regarding ethical decision-making and policy development is debated. Real-life scenarios allow the reader to examine the various ways in which effective advocacy has been achieved. Finally, the chapter poses questions, encouraging the reader to pause and think about how they would manage various challenges related to healthcare advocacy