Advocates are professionals that include but are not limited to health and health care advocates, patient advocates, patient navigators, health or patient advisers, care managers, and case managers, as well as those who work on behalf of communities, consumers, and family caregivers (including advocacy on legislative and health policy initiatives). Advocates may work independently, in a medical setting, or on behalf of communities or disease specific populations across organizations and agencies.
Advocates work with clients who need assistance navigating complex medical, behavioral, or insurance/financial situations by partnering with them and supporting their ability to make individual and well-informed decisions. Advocates strive to uphold the legal and ethical principles of voluntary, understanding and informed consent, as well as those of shared decision-making between patients and providers. They do so by ensuring clients have the relevant information, an appropriate understanding of the matters in question, and trying to ascertain clients are not being coerced. Advocates make sure the clients’ voices and choices are heard with the goal of assisting clients in obtaining healthcare that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.
