Barriers to nurses health advocacy role.
Ghana
Health advocacy
barriers
nurses role
nursing practice
qualitative studies
Journal
Nursing ethics
ISSN: 1477-0989
Titre abrégé: Nurs Ethics
Pays: England
ID NLM: 9433357
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Sep 2023
Sep 2023
Historique:
medline:
13
11
2023
pubmed:
1
4
2023
entrez:
31
3
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Speaking up to safeguard patients is a crucial ethical and moral obligation for nurses, but it is also a difficult and potentially dangerous component of nursing work. Health advocacy is gaining impetus in the medical literature, despite being hampered by barriers resulting in many nurses in Ghana remaining mute when faced with advocacy-required situations. We explored situations that thwart nurses from performing their health advocacy role. What would cause nurses to take no action when they witness situations that require them to act as health advocates for their clients or communities? An inductive, descriptive qualitative design was used to collect and analyse data on barriers that prevent nurses from practising their health advocacy role in Ghana. Individual one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Twenty-four professional nurses and midwives registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council were recruited from three regional hospitals in Ghana. These public hospitals were chosen from the upper, middle and coastal regions. The UKZN Ethics Review Committee in South Africa and the GHS Ethics Review Committee in Ghana both gave their approval for this study. Intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, and structural barriers emerged as major obstacles that nurses experience when performing their health advocacy role. Barriers to health advocacy have undermined nurses' ability to function as health advocates and are preventing them from utilising their health advocacy position in nursing practise. Giving nursing students positive role models in the classroom and in the clinic can help them become more effective health advocates.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Speaking up to safeguard patients is a crucial ethical and moral obligation for nurses, but it is also a difficult and potentially dangerous component of nursing work. Health advocacy is gaining impetus in the medical literature, despite being hampered by barriers resulting in many nurses in Ghana remaining mute when faced with advocacy-required situations. We explored situations that thwart nurses from performing their health advocacy role.
RESEARCH QUESTION
OBJECTIVE
What would cause nurses to take no action when they witness situations that require them to act as health advocates for their clients or communities?
RESEARCH DESIGN
METHODS
An inductive, descriptive qualitative design was used to collect and analyse data on barriers that prevent nurses from practising their health advocacy role in Ghana. Individual one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT
METHODS
Twenty-four professional nurses and midwives registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council were recruited from three regional hospitals in Ghana. These public hospitals were chosen from the upper, middle and coastal regions.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
METHODS
The UKZN Ethics Review Committee in South Africa and the GHS Ethics Review Committee in Ghana both gave their approval for this study.
FINDINGS
RESULTS
Intrapersonal barriers, interpersonal barriers, and structural barriers emerged as major obstacles that nurses experience when performing their health advocacy role.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Barriers to health advocacy have undermined nurses' ability to function as health advocates and are preventing them from utilising their health advocacy position in nursing practise. Giving nursing students positive role models in the classroom and in the clinic can help them become more effective health advocates.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36999769
doi: 10.1177/09697330221146241
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
844-856Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.