Patient advocacy

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 765-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumiko Toda ◽  
Masayo Sakamoto ◽  
Akira Tagaya ◽  
Mimi Takahashi ◽  
Anne J. Davis

Background: Advocacy is an important role of psychiatric nurses because their patients are ethically, socially, and legally vulnerable. This study of Japanese expert psychiatric nurses’ judgments of interventions for patient advocacy will show effective strategies for ethical nursing practice and their relationship with Japanese culture. Objectives: This article explores Japanese psychiatric nurses’ decision to intervene as a patient advocate and examine their ethical, cultural, and social implications. Research design: Using semi-structured interviews verbatim, themes of the problems that required interventions were inductively summarized by a qualitative analysis and their contexts and nursing judgments were examined. Participants and research context: The participants were 21 nurses with 5 or more years of experience in psychiatric nursing. Ethical considerations: The research was approved by Institutional Review Board of research site and study facilities. The participants gave written informed consent. Findings: Analysis of 45 cases showed that nurses decided to intervene when (a) surrounding people’s opinions impeded patients’ safety, (b) healthcare professionals’ policies impeded patients’ decision-making, (c) own violent behaviors impeded treatment and welfare services for patients, (d) own or families’ low acceptance of illness impeded patients’ self-actualization, (e) inappropriate treatment or care impeded patients’ liberty, and (f) their families abused patients’ property. Discussion: To solve conflicts between patients and their surrounding people, the nurses sought reconciliation between them, which is in accordance with Japanese cultural norms respecting harmony. When necessary, however, they protected patients’ rights against cultural norms. Therefore, their judgments cannot be explained by cultural norms alone. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the nurses’ judgments were based on respect for patients’ rights apart from cultural norms, and they first sought solutions fitting the cultural norms before other solutions. This seems to be an ethical, effective strategy if advocates know the culture in depth.

Author(s):  
Mohammad Sabzi Khoshnami ◽  
Fardin Alipour ◽  
Maliheh Arshi ◽  
Hassan Rafiey ◽  
Mohhamad Hossein Javadi

Community reintegration of ex-offenders is a main issue for reducing recidivism. This article aims to explain the process of reintegration into the community based on the experiences of people who have been convicted of violent crimes in Iran. A qualitative study based on grounded theory was conducted in 2020 in Tehran/Iran. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 participants. An institutional review board approved the study. Results indicate that the “worry trap” is the main challenge that those convicted of violent crimes face upon reentry into society. If these individuals are provided with governmental and non-governmental services and support, they can move toward “restoring their lost social capital.” The “redefinition of an independent identity” is a consequence of released individuals’ struggle to restore their lost social capital. Further research exploring the causality of social capital and improved outcomes after release from prison and reentry to community is needed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namrata Gupta

Purpose Since liberalization in the 1990s, India has witnessed a growth in the number of educated middle-class women in professions. However, there are few women in leadership positions and decision-making bodies. While the earlier notion of the ideal woman as homemaker has been replaced by one which idealizes women of substance, a woman’s role in the family continues to be pivotal and is even viewed as central in defining Indian culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how and to what extent gender inequalities are reproduced in the organizations employing educated professionals. Design/methodology/approach Based on the perspective that gender is socially constructed, this paper analyzes gender inequality in Indian organizations through semi-structured interviews of men and women scientists in two private pharmaceutical laboratories. Findings The findings show reproduction of a gendered normative order through two types of norms and practices: one, norms and practices that favor men and second, socio-cultural norms that devalue women in public spaces which help to maintain masculinity in the workplace. Although these practices might be found elsewhere in the world, the manner in which they are enacted reflects national cultural norms. Originality/value The paper highlights how various norms and practices enacted in the specific Indian socio-cultural context construct and maintain masculinity at workplace depriving opportunities to professional women which affect their rise to leadership positions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Savery ◽  
Nichole Egbert

AbstractObjective:The purpose of this study is to examine traits of hospice volunteers that facilitate their success in this informal caregiving role, with the larger goal of alleviating the family caregiver burden and providing additional support to the hospice patient. To achieve this goal, a new scale was developed to tap into how hospice volunteers view their patient advocacy role.Method:Participants were 136 trained hospice volunteers from the Midwest who had direct contact with hospice patients. Volunteers mailed anonymous surveys that included measures of argumentativeness, locus of control, attitudes toward patient advocacy, and key demographic items. A new scale was developed to measure patient advocacy by hospice volunteers called the Hospice Volunteer as Patient Advocate.Results:Submitting this scale to exploratory factor analysis, two factors emerged: duty as patient advocate and support of patient rights. After performing a multiple regression analysis, results showed that female volunteers who were high in internal locus of control were more likely to perceive that volunteers have a duty as patient advocates. Younger volunteers with more years of volunteer experience, higher levels of internal locus of control, and lower external locus of control were more likely to support patient rights.Significance of results:The findings of this study could be used to formalize hospice volunteers' role as patient advocates, thus better utilizing them as committed, caring communicators and improving patient-centered care at end-of-life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-431
Author(s):  
Hillary L. Berk

Abstract:What is the value of surrogate labor and risks, and how is it negotiated by participants as they contract within an unsettled baby market? This article presents novel data on compensation, fee, and bodily autonomy provisions formalized in surrogacy contracts, and the experiences of actors embedded in exchange relations, as they emerge in a contested reproductive market. It combines content analysis of a sample of thirty surrogacy contracts with 115 semi-structured interviews conducted in twenty states across the United States of parties to these agreements, attorneys who draft them, counselors, and agencies that coordinate matches between intended parents and surrogates. It analyzes the value of services and medical risks, such as loss of a uterus, selective abortion, and “carrier incapacity,” as they are encoded into agreements within an ambiguous field. Surrogacy is presented as an interactive social process involving law, markets, medicine, and a variety of cultural norms surrounding gender, motherhood, and work. Contracts have actual and symbolic power, legitimating transactions despite moral anxieties. Compensation transforms pregnancy into a job while helping participants make sense of the market and their “womb work” given normative flux. Contracts are deployed by professionals without informed policies that could enhance power and reduce potential inequalities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 905 (1) ◽  
pp. 012122
Author(s):  
H P Pramana ◽  
S Hastjarjo ◽  
Sudarmo

Abstract This study explains millennial and Gen-Z attitudes, perspectives, and behaviors in implementing the eco-office concept. As a qualitative method study, the study uses primary data through semi-structured interviews and secondary data collected from reports, public/private publications, and census results, using the Yin case study model as data analysis. The study results reveal that the biggest challenge in implementing new policies is self-thinking. Leaders, as change agents, play an essential role in penetrating messages that make them act pro-environment. The reward system will be very effective, especially providing satisfaction for self-actualization. The findings of this study have implications for policymakers as input. For example, the results show that social media plays a crucial role in increasing environmental awareness. In addition, simple shifts such as electronic media use at work will cut the file chain, making it more effective and favored by young people. They understand the consequences of their actions on the environment and have the education, motivation, and social awareness to participate in the green movement. However, beliefs and actions are not fully integrated, and investigating and understanding their behavior and unique needs in the workplace will lead employees to integrate and succeed together to support the environment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 71-100
Author(s):  
Andrea R. Jain

This chapter focuses on the appropriating and commodifying practices of spirituality industries and asks how corporations, entrepreneurs, and consumers relate spiritual practices to ethical values through marketing and consumer activities. The author analyzes popular spiritual discourses, demonstrating how the powerful and subversive expressions appliqued across yogaware and the industry’s “do good” discourses are tied to a commitment to particular “yogic” or “spiritual” values. Yet, for all of the self-actualization it offers through PEACE LOVE YOGA the industry also plays a capitalist game that thrives on nostalgia about lost cultural norms, as well as neoliberal narratives about the capitalist market, self-care, and personal improvement.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiyo Ando ◽  
Masashi Kawano

Background: Since moral distress affects psychological aspects of psychiatric nurses, it is an important theme. Previous studies showed relationships between moral distress and job satisfaction; however, there are few studies which investigate relationships between moral distress and other effective variables and then we highlighted relationships among these variables. Objective: This study aimed to (1) examine relationships among moral distress, sense of coherence, mental health, and job satisfaction and (2) clarify the most predictive variable to job satisfaction. Research design: This study is a cross-sectional study. Participants were 130 psychiatric nurses in a hospital in Japan. They completed the Moral Distress Scale for Psychiatric nurses (Unethical conduct, Low staffing, and Acquiescence to patients’ rights violations), the sense of coherence scale (Comprehensibility, Manageability, and Meaning), the General Health Questionnaire, and the Job Satisfaction scale. Ethical consideration: This study was approved by the ethical board of St Mary’s College. Nurses participated voluntarily and were anonymous. Results: Results showed that subscales of the Moral Distress Scale for Psychiatric nurses negatively correlated to the sense of coherence and the Job Satisfaction. A multiple regression analysis showed that “Acquiescence to patients’ rights violations” of the Moral Distress Scale for Psychiatric nurses and “Meaning” of the sense of coherence influenced the Job Satisfaction much more than other variables. These two variables were correlated to job satisfaction scale, and other variables without them did not significantly correlate to job satisfaction scale. Discussion: These results suggest that moral distress negatively related to sense of coherence and job satisfaction, a subscale of the Moral Distress Scale for Psychiatric nurses and that of the sense of coherence affected the job satisfaction the most. Conclusion: Decreasing of acquiescence to patients’ rights violations and finding meaning in nursing may improve job satisfaction.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 28-28
Author(s):  
Ilona Fridman ◽  
Tanya Nikolova ◽  
Paul A. Glare ◽  
E. Tory Higgins

28 Background: Patients often continue chemotherapy at the end of life, decreasing their quality of life without prolonging survival. Because humans tend to make emotional choices rather than rational ones when considering unpleasant options, patients are likely to reject hospice and other forms of symptom-focused care (SFC) when it could be beneficial for them. We explored patients’ perspectives on how they choose between continuing cancer treatment and SFC. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 20 patients recruited from palliative care clinics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Interviews covered patients’ decision-making process regarding further chemotherapy vs. SFC. Interviewees gave verbal consent, the MSKCC Institutional Review Board granting a waiver. Results: Two key conditions were identified as necessary for patients to choose SFC. First, the patient accepts that further chemotherapy is not going to be beneficial to them. Second, the oncologist endorses the transition to SFC. Preliminary analysis of treatment choices at the time of interview (see Table) also found many of those who expected they would benefit from further treatment experienced negative emotions when SFC was recommended. Conclusions: These data confirm the importance of raising prognostic awareness, and endorsing hospice. Further research should focus on developing communication techniques to recommend SFC in a way that helps patients who continue to want more treatment to calmly understand and consider carefully the advice being offered, rather than simply disliking it and quickly rejecting it. [Table: see text]


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-239
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Erfanian Arghavaian ◽  
Robab Latifnejad Roudsari ◽  
Abbas Heydari ◽  
Mohsen Noghani Dokht Bahmani

Introduction: In providing pregnancy services, particular attention is given to the mother and her infant and comparatively less consideration is paid to men’s role. This study aimed to explore how Iranian men are confronted with pregnancy from pregnant women’s point of view. Methods: This study was conducted, using an ethno-phenomenological approach. 25 Pregnant women were recruited via purposeful sampling from health centers, hospitals, and private obstetric clinics in Mashhad, Iran. In-depth semi-structured interviews (n=25), vignettes, (n=13) as well as observation were used for data collection. The data were organized with MAXQDA software version 10 and analyzed, using van Manen descriptive- interpretive phenomenological approach. Results: The main theme which emerged was: "adaptation, skillfulness and self-actualization of man in confrontation with pregnancy". This was derived from two themes: 1) "spouse's emotional engagement" subthemes spouse’s emotional confrontation with pregnancy occurrence, man's sentimentality following being an expectant father, husband`s confrontation with wife's motherhood, man's emotional excitement, seeing the symptoms of fetal survival, husband's gender orientation and 2)"Concentration, vigilance and active efforts of spouse during pregnancy" subthemes managing wife towards successful pregnancy, efforts to acquire paternal skills and pregnancy as an issue to expand spouse's mental horizons. Conclusion: Besides an overwhelming sense of emotion, men tend to be supportive in managing successful pregnancy. As an opportunity window pregnancy seems to develop thinking, vision and horizons of life among men and increases their responsibility. By promoting male participation in pregnancy, important steps could be taken to improve maternal and infant health using spouses` support approach.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhonda K. Rodgers ◽  
Vanessa L. Kettering ◽  
Jeremy P. Hunter

Organizational leaders and decision makers are searching for those who “do the right thing” regardless of moral complexities or cultural norms. Researchers have categorized these individuals as mindful, authentic, etc., and suggest their more attentive, and less reactive nature enables them to maintain unique ways of seeing, thinking, and acting in the world. Interest is building in secular adaptations (e.g., mindfulness training) of teachings from antiquity (e.g., Buddhist mindfulness), however scarce attention has been given to practitioners. To address this lack of understanding about contemplative experiences, a phenomenological study was undertaken to explore contemplative practice as experienced by American businesspeople. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives, managers, and career professionals (n = 29) who had an ongoing contemplative practice at the turn of the last century, and follow up interviews were conducted 15 years later to explore the trajectory of these individuals as professionals and contemplatives. At present (n = 7) of the original participants have been interviewed, and their experiences are the focus of this second wave of the study. The broad discovery is that over time, contemplative practice becomes an experiential framework for daily life, informing and influencing life choices in both personal and professional domains.


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