Norrie P
Department of Health and Continuing Professional Studies, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 1997 Jun;13(3):167-9. doi: 10.1016/s0964-3397(97)80937-8.
According to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) code of conduct (1992), nurses in Britain are expected to act as patient advocates. An advocate is someone who 'pleads for another' (Concise Oxford Dictionary 1982). However, it has been shown that advocacy is a complex issue and it is debatable as to whether or not it is a legitimate attribute of the role of the nurse (Gates 1995). Mallik (1997) also finds that advocacy can be a risky career option. Professional codes of conduct spell out duties, but do not give moral guidance. Phrases such as 'promote and safeguard the well-being of the patient' (UKCC 1992) are used, but although undoubtedly well-intentioned, this is platitudinous and these codes commonly shed little light on how to define an action that is to the patient's benefit or detriment. It is tempting to suggest that they are used as a drunken man uses a street lamp; more for support than illumination. Castledine (1981) identified a number of factors that would make a nurse an inappropriate advocate and these will be discussed within the context of intensive care units (ICUs).
根据英国护理、助产与健康访视中央理事会（UKCC）的行为准则（1992年），英国的护士应充当患者的代言人。代言人是“为他人辩护的人”（《简明牛津词典》，1982年）。然而，有证据表明，代言是一个复杂的问题，护士的角色是否具有代言这一合理属性仍存在争议（盖茨，1995年）。马利克（1997年）也发现，代言可能是一个有风险的职业选择。职业行为准则阐明了职责，但并未提供道德指导。使用了诸如“促进和保护患者的福祉”（UKCC，1992年）这样的表述，尽管无疑是出于善意，但这只是陈词滥调，这些准则通常几乎没有阐明如何界定对患者有益或有害的行为。有人不禁会说，这些准则就像醉汉使用路灯一样；更多的是为了支撑而非照明。卡斯尔丁（1981年）指出了一些会使护士成为不适当代言人的因素，这些因素将在重症监护病房（ICU）的背景下进行讨论。
