{"id":1442,"date":"2016-08-11T08:30:57","date_gmt":"2016-08-11T12:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/?p=1442"},"modified":"2016-07-29T05:37:26","modified_gmt":"2016-07-29T09:37:26","slug":"the-doctor-as-the-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themspress.org\/blog\/the-doctor-as-the-advocate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Doctor as the Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
\n<\/em>– Margaret Mead<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctors are at the forefront of society. They see the dark pits and abysses of humanity that the rest of us try to forget \u2013 those depths of despair that many of us will never experience.<\/p>\n

As Medicine continues to change, so too does its definition of illness and what it means to be \u2018sick.\u2019 Illness means more than just a set of symptoms or a mark upon an X-Ray; it resides within the choices we make every day, the people we welcome into our lives and the jobs we labor for decades at a time. As medicine continues to encompass more and more of our everyday lives, so it takes on greater responsibility.<\/p>\n

Advocacy was defined by Earnest et al. in the January 2010 issue of Academic Medicine as an\u00a0\u2018action\u00a0by the\u00a0physician\u00a0to promote those social, economic, educational and political changes that ameliorate the suffering and threats to human health and well-being that he or she identifies through his or her professional work and expertise\u2019\u00a0<\/em>(3).<\/p>\n

An article written in the 2014 edition of the AMA Journal of Ethics further divided the definition into two: agency which refers to working on behalf of a specific patient, and activism which is directed towards changing social conditions that impact our health (6). Although many doctors are comfortable with the direct care of their patients, what can often be forgotten is our social responsibility. Not only do we need to treat patients as individuals, but also as a group \u2013 as a community.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0doctor\u2019s\u00a0role goes beyond the hospital walls. The patient is not just the person sitting in the clinic, but the person next door, the young lady who goes to the shops, the schoolboy who drags his bag over his sullen shoulders every morning. Illness takes place in more than the\u00a0patient\u2019s\u00a0body; it takes place in society, in the\u00a0neighborhood, in the schools that cannot provide support and the families that can no longer cope.; <\/span>what impacts our health? Is it a parasite within our bodies, a virus that has entered so far into our habitat? Or is it unemployment, poor housing, discrimination, social isolation, loneliness, and abuse? These types of vulnerabilities lead to much higher rates of both morbidity and mortality in those affected (4).<\/p>\n

The doctor is the voice of those who do not have one. The status of the medical doctor has been respected throughout the centuries; the curer of ills, the bringer of life. While this is gradually changing in the new era of patient-centered care, it is still a prevalent idea.<\/p>\n

The doctor should use this privilege and rank within society to fight for those who cannot. As a group, doctors can hold a lot of power within society. Here in the UK, several Royal Colleges have voiced their opinions in the mainstream media over a number of issues already; in 2015 the Royal College of Psychiatrists spoke out about the long distances many of their patients had to travel for support (8), while in 2013 the Royal College of Physicians highlighted the need to tackle obesity more rigorously (9).<\/p>\n

These days it is much easier to be an advocate. All it takes is a few clicks on the laptop and you can enter into the sphere of social media. A quick search on Twitter will highlight numerous debates that are occurring amongst patients and doctors, nurses and pharmacists, families and politicians. The battle is no longer held in the debating arena, but within the public sphere.<\/p>\n

There is another side to advocacy. Once one decides to expose themselves to the public sphere, they open the door to a hailstorm of criticism and disapproval. By stepping outside of their niche practice and showing their faces to the world, they invite a whole host of attacks. To counter such negative experiences, many medical organizations have offered advice for healthcare professionals who wish to take a bigger role within society.<\/p>\n

For example, the Canadian Medical Protective Association (2) recommends doctors:<\/p>\n