Patient advocacy: a concept analysis.

Aim: To clarify the ill-defined concept of patient advocacy and develop a model.

Method: An eclectic concept analysis was used in the study.

Results: Results of the analysis reveal that advocacy has three essential attributes: valuing, apprising and interceding. Antecedents to advocacy include a vulnerable population and a nurse willing to take on the responsibility for advocacy. The consequences of acting as a patient advocate can be potentially negative or positive for patient and nurse. On their own, the attributes are one of a number of helping strategies.

Conclusion: Advocacy is a contemporary nursing issue comprising three essential attributes. Individually, each of the attributes is a helping strategy used in nursing. Only when all three attributes are present can advocacy be said to be realised.