title: Patient advocacy by nurses - past, present and future.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient advocacy is central to the nursing profession yet a sense of certainty about the concept, its meaning and its implications for nursing practice remains elusive.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This scholarly paper examines the concept of patient advocacy and its relevance to the nursing profession in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  A broad historical overview of the evolution of the role of advocacy in nursing practice is provided including factors that encourage or discourage nurses to practice patient advocacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper highlights the gap between the ideal of patient advocacy and the realities of everyday nursing practice. The responsibility for enacting advocacy sits with both individual practitioners and the organizations nurses work within.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing , Auckland University of Technology , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tineke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Water
authors.affiliation: b School of Clinical Sciences , Auckland University of Technology , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing , Auckland University of Technology , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Deb
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.affiliation: a Department of Nursing , Auckland University of Technology , Auckland , New Zealand.
authors.forename: Shayne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology*; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends*; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: advocacy; ethics; nursing; patients