What are some ways I can advocate for a patient who is unable to do it on their own?

Unfortunately I see this all the time & way too often our concerns are ignored. I think one of the most important things is to never give up & to always speak up. Someone needs to be the patient’s voice when they are unable to advocate for themselves & may get lost in the healthcare system- majority of the time the responsibility is placed on the nurses. It’s helpful to know exactly who to contact, becoming familiar with the chain of command of doctors for example. Talking to supervisors & who over sees certain people like medical/surgical residents. Consulting with different team members such as social work & case management. Using your resources. Also, researching hospital policies/procedures/committees & educating self on scope of practice, such as the ethical committees if the situation becomes an ethical concern. Communication with the patient & team & educating both self & patients/loved ones is important. Also, I strongly believe in trusting your nursing intuition and gut feelings. If you have any type of concern- whether medical, ethical, emotional, etc..- we often have to fight to be heard. I feel people who are not at the bedside 24/7 lack the awareness of how many issues these patients actually have to deal with. It seems some have an attitude of “I can only do so much,” &”that’s not my responsibility,” when in reality the whole entire healthcare team is responsible for the patient’s wellbeing. Continue to speak up for your patients but also yourself, keep fighting, & be the voice of the voiceless. All we can do is try our best & keep fighting.