Professional autonomy and patient advocacy in nurses

Abstract

BackgroundDevelopments in the field of health care require nurses to have professional autonomy and to fulfil contemporary nursing roles including patient advocacy. AimIn this study, it was aimed to determine the levels of professional autonomy and patient advocacy of nurses and to examine the relationship between them. MethodsThe descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses working in inpatient clinics of a public hospital (n = 212). The data of the study were collected using a questionnaire consisting of questions to determine the socio-demographic and professional characteristics of nurses, the Nurses’ Attitude Towards Professional Autonomy Scale, and the Patient Advocacy Scale for Nurses. FindingsThe mean age of the nurses participating in the study was 29.60 ± 6.72, 92% were females and 71.7% hold a bachelor's degree. The mean score of the Nurses’ Attitude Towards Professional Autonomy Scale was 78.74 ± 8.56, and the total mean score of the Patient Advocacy Scale for Nurses was 165.91 ± 20.31. It was determined that there was a positive and significant correlation between the total mean score of the Nurses’ Attitude Towards Professional Autonomy Scale and the mean score of the Patient Advocacy Scale for Nurses (p < 0.05). It was found that the mean total scores of the Nurses’ Attitude Towards Professional Autonomy Scale of nurses working in intensive care and holding a postgraduate degree were statistically higher (p < 0.05). ConclusionNurses' professional autonomy was high, and the practice of patient advocacy roles was above average. As professional autonomy increases, the practice of patient advocacy roles also increases.