Holding the title of “Registered Nurse” comes with many responsibilities, and of those many responsibilities includes being a nurse who empowers and exhibits compassion for others, especially patients. Patients, when in a state of being sick, are extremely vulnerable, and it is essential that nurses enable these patients to feel included in the decisions regarding their own health, wellness, and direction of care (Ennis-O'Connor, 2018). When patients are able to feel included in their care, they are able to feel as though they have the power to control the many decisions regarding their health (Ennis-O'Connor, 2018). Nurses, along with the healthcare team, must be able to thoroughly provide patients with the information needed to make adequate …show more content…
Some ways that empowerment of a patient can take place is through providing the patient with the necessary information needed to make informed decisions. For example, a patient named Elyn Jacobs stated that obtaining the information from the healthcare team about his cancer diagnosis allowed him to regain control in a time where he felt like he had nothing (Ennis-O'Connor, 2020). As a nurse, being able to provide options and information to patients, such as disease processes or medication side effects, allows for these patients to know their options and make decisions based upon that information given (Ennis-O'Connor, 2020). Patients are not able to be empowered if they do not understand their condition or aspects affecting their health, and if they do not understand their conditions/health, then these individuals are not able to contribute to decision-making, and therefore, are not able to receive the highest level of care that they could receive (Ennis-O'Connor, 2018). Oftentimes nurses are the ones spending the most time with patients, and it is pertinent that through these patient interactions patients are receiving information about their health and the options that are available to …show more content…
According to the American Journal of Critical Care, “Nurses are essential members of the health care team, and nursing care underpins every aspect of health care. Globally, half of all health care workers are nurses, and in many instances, nurses are the only health care professionals available to communities'' (Munro, 2020). With this being said, nurses must be supported and uplifted in order to be able to contribute to high quality patient care. By being supported and empowered, nurses directly influence patient satisfaction rates. The American Journal of Critical Care summarized that through empowering nurses to use their knowledge, skills, and judgement, this has led to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction (Munro, 2020). Being that nurses are essential in the effective coordination of patient care, continued advocacy for nursing empowerment enables nurses to exhibit skills and knowledge necessary to deliver the highest form of care to patients (Munro, 2020). Also, empowering nurses has led to the promotion of gender equality, in which access to healthcare for many women has been improved upon since nurses were able to be supported in being the frontline workers for these women (Munro, 2020). Nurses have a direct influence on patient satisfaction and outcomes, and if nurses are able to be supported and