Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The study aims to examine if there are any differences in the levels of patient advocacy engagement between health professional roles (social workers, nurses, and medical residents) in acute-care hospitals. Secondary data was used, from a cross sectional study funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, consisting of a sample of 295 participants including 94 social workers, 97 nurses, and 104 medical residents recruited from eight acute-care hospitals in Los Angeles, California. A series of One-way ANOVAs revealed a statistically significant difference in the extent to which the respondents engaged in patient advocacy, as measured by the Patient Advocacy Engagement Scale (F=8.31, p<0.001). Post-hoc test results revealed a significant difference between social workers and nurses (p<0.001), with social workers reporting a significantly higher level of patient advocacy engagement. There was no difference detected between social workers and medical residents, as well as between medical residents and nurses. Understanding and addressing these differences in levels of patient advocacy engagement emerges as a strategy to improve patient safety and the delivery of quality care.