Abstract

Key Points ◆ Nurses are ideally suited to advocate for patients and families due to their professional orientation, education, and role in patient care. ◆ Six components constitute a model of advocacy in palliative nursing: clinical competency, relational care, communication skills, bio-psycho-social-spiritual orientation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a combination of confidence and humility. ◆ Nurse advocates respond to the strengths as well as the vulnerabilities of patients and families, building empowering relationships to support care decisions that respect the values and personhood of patients. ◆ Seven functional elements facilitate effective advocacy in palliative nursing: specific documentation, careful observation of patient and family interactions, assessing understanding, building rapport, eliciting care preferences, privileging patient values and preferences, teaching and sharing information. ◆ Advocacy is an approach to palliative nursing care, one which emphasizes careful attention to process over outcome.