Healthcare Advocacy and Social Justice

Abstract

Health care in the United States is in the throes of shifts in payment structures, training requirements, documentation tools, team member roles, federal and state regulations, all while the foundations of medical knowledge and technology continue to grow exponentially. These changes affect physicians at all levels of training and practice, and can potentially lead to disparities in access to, quality of, and outcomes from care. While engagement in advocacy at the individual patient level has been a cornerstone of the medical profession, an increasing number of training programs and professional societies now recognize the importance of the physician voice in broader discussions of policy-making, regulatory guidance, clinical guidelines, and even development of technology and health system structures in order to decrease these disparities. The goal of teaching advocacy and social justice is to ensure equitable opportunities to attain health for all patients as well as equitable learning opportunities for future physicians of all backgrounds and identities. This chapter defines these concepts and introduces ways to engage in advocacy efforts at all levels of patient care and experience.

OUTLINE: Background and Definitions, Social Justice, Advocacy in Practice: Levels of Advocacy, Successful Advocacy Efforts.