Patient advocacy: Japanese psychiatric nurses recognizing necessity for intervention

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Psychiatric Nursing
• Cultural Competence

Background:

• Psychiatric nurses play a crucial role in patient advocacy due to patient vulnerability.
• Understanding effective advocacy strategies within cultural contexts is essential for ethical nursing practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Japanese psychiatric nurses' decision-making processes in patient advocacy.
• To examine the ethical, cultural, and social implications of psychiatric nursing interventions in Japan.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 21 experienced psychiatric nurses.
• Inductive summarization of themes related to patient advocacy interventions and their contexts.

Main Results:

• Nurses intervened when external opinions, policies, or behaviors impeded patient safety, decision-making, liberty, or welfare.
• Interventions were also triggered by issues related to illness acceptance and family abuse.

Conclusions:

• Psychiatric nurses in Japan balance cultural norms of harmony with the imperative to protect patient rights.
• Effective advocacy requires deep cultural understanding and prioritizing patient rights, even when challenging norms.