Self-advocacy is a term that is much more common in medicine than you might think. It basically refers to all those situations where you represent yourself in front of medical experts. Using self-advocacy is especially important if you think your rights are being neglected and when you require additional care from a healthcare provider.
According to GNANOW.org, advocating your own rights is vital in this day and age. The large number of old patients overburdens the Western medical systems, which is why many of us don’t receive the care we need. While putting yourself in front of others might sound selfish, it is the best way to avoid complications due to lack of care.
In this article, we’ll explain the term a bit more thoroughly, and then we’ll make a comparison between self-advocacy and being represented by a professional.
Self-Advocacy Basics
People with chronic conditions, terminal illnesses, and disabilities are often neglected by the medical systems. Due to prolonged suffering, many medical experts give up on these patients, knowing very well there’s little they can do for them. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your quality of life through additional treatments.
In these cases, you need to fight for your rights and try to get as many resources as possible. You need to talk to clinics, pharmacies, physicians, and other medical workers in an attempt to get better care. Through self-advocacy, you can rest assured your treatment goals are properly understood and that your physician can act according to your desires.
In other words, you can secure the type of support you need to live the rest of your file in a fulfilling manner.
What Does Self-Advocacy Encompass?
If you wish to become your own medical advocate, you should start by getting acquainted with the current policies and medical standards. It’s also recommended that you learn more about insurance so you can act within a specific budget. Here’s what self-advocacy usually entails:
- Speaking in front of medical providers
- Setting realistic goals and communicating them to doctors
- Deciding on alternative treatments
- Securing more treatments, drugs, and time with physician
- Learning about your rights and responsibilities
- Solving new issues as they appear
Most importantly, self-advocating allows you to overcome any bias that medical providers might have toward you. This is especially important if providers have given up on you or if you’re a part of a country’s minority. With it, you can ensure better results without having to spend extra money.
Pros of Self-Advocacy
Self-advocating is always better than doing nothing. In the end, someone has to stand up for their rights, especially if they’re being jeopardized. That being said, here are a few benefits of being proactive:
1. Making Own Decisions
Most people don’t start self-advocating on a whim. Instead, there is usually a more tangible reason for doing so. For example, patients might feel that the physician doesn’t act in their best interest. They might also disagree with their suggested treatment or drugs.
In these cases, it’s vital that you raise concerns and vocalize your needs and wants. You might even ask for a second opinion if a hospital has several specialists on the payroll.
2. Becoming Self-Confident
We can’t understate the importance of self-confidence, especially if you’re tackling a debilitating disease. Self-advocacy can secure more resources from the medical staff, usually resulting in better outcomes. As your confidence grows, you will also have a more positive outlook on the situation, which will help you overcome any mental hurdles you encounter along the way.
3. Gaining Additional Information
As you start talking with your medical provider, you will learn more about the condition and suitable procedures. You might also acquire new information that the provider didn’t want to initially disclose, such as treatment success rate. With all this knowledge, you can modify the process so that it’s more to your liking.
4. Better Financial Management
Hospitals often try to charge you for things that you don’t need. Whether we’re talking about additional treatments, hospital stays, tests, or supplements, there are numerous ways they make money. Through self-advocacy, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s necessary and what’s unnecessary. That way, you can cut costs when treating prolonged ailments.
Cons of Self-Advocacy
There are also a few reasons why self-advocacy the best solution might not be. For the most part, these issues have to do with the lack of expertise and misunderstanding of medical treatments. This is why many patients nowadays hire professional nurse advocates to help them out.
1. Lack of Knowledge
Even if you have a conflict with your provider, it might not be the best option to represent yourself. The lack of knowledge might get you in an even bigger trouble. In fact, there are many cases in practice where patients start disputing with their doctors only to realize they were wrong all along.
Unfortunately, this isn’t something you can easily compensate for. Besides mastering communication, you should also learn more about your specific condition, available treatments, insurance, and local providers. If you’re struggling with a serious condition, the last thing you need is to research all these areas.
2. Lack of Perspective
Many people also struggle due to a lack of objectivity. One of the most common situations is patients blaming doctors for their condition, even if a medical provider did everything in his power to make them better. Patients also struggle with denial, as they can’t accept their disability, terminal illness, or some other debilitating condition.
3. Slow Execution
Due to the lack of knowledge and the complexity of the process, self-advocacy might take a while. Luckily, this issue can easily be circumvented by hiring external assistance. A knowledgeable medical professional can streamline the process, ensuring that you get much better results much faster.
Last Thoughts
Self-advocacy is vital for all patients who are struggling with their diagnosis or treatment. It circumvents all misinterpretations, miscommunication, and bias that might exist between a patient and a provider. As such, it’s something you need to rely on if you want to get healthy ASAP!
Hi, I’m the Founder and Developer of Paramedics World, a blog truly devoted to Paramedics. I am a Medical Lab Tech, a Web Developer and Bibliophiliac. My greatest hobby is to teach and motivate other peoples to do whatever they wanna do in life.