Patient advocacy in the community and legislative arena.

ABSTRACT

Nurses have hundreds of patient experiences upon which to draw in order to impact public policy. It is our obligation to strengthen skills that enable us to influence public policy so we can better serve patients. This article provides examples of how nurses can translate their hands-on experience with patients into steps that will influence policy. We begin by describing advocacy and providing examples of how nurses can advocate in the community, specifically in economic matters and the educational and healthcare systems. Then we describe the process for advocating in the legislative arena. We conclude by noting that the public needs the voice of nursing in public policy and that now is the time to move forward to advocate for patients in these various arenas.