Introduction
In this discussion paper, I attempt to provide an interpretive synthesis of several qualitative studies which examine nurses’ experiences with advocacy in practice. Noblit and Hare (1988, p.28) assert the importance of synthesizing qualitative studies in order to derive a holistic meaning from a series of individual accounts: ‘Synthesis refers to making a whole into something more than the parts alone imply’. In this paper, I endeavour to gain greater clarity about the concept of advocacy in nursing by analysing themes emerging from nurses’ accounts of their experiences with the advocacy role in practice. By synthesizing the findings from these studies, an argument is presented suggesting exploration of the role of relational ethics as a means of informing the application of advocacy in nursing practice. In proposing relational ethics as an important basis for furthering our understanding of the concept of advocacy, I also consider the development of nurses’ advocacy skills in practice. To set the context for the particular nature of advocacy in nursing, this discussion will begin with a review of the concept of advocacy, followed by an examination of professional obligations for advocacy in nursing.