The role of nurses as patient advocates is well recognised by healthcare
professionals, yet the processes and practices involved in patient
advocacy are not clearly understood. A suboptimal level of advocacy is
often apparent in the literature, encompassing paternalistic concepts of
protecting patients from harm. This article examines the concept of
patient advocacy and its relevance to nursing, associated goals and
outcomes of advocacy and the processes and practices involved. It
provides insights into how nurses practise patient advocacy in healthcare
settings and how they may develop this role further, through formal
education, workplace learning, role modelling by expert nurses and
promoting an organisational culture conducive to patient advocacy.