Health advocacy | Best Practice, Better Practitioners

Other Core Competencies:

To identify and respond to the health needs and expectations of individual patients, families, carers and communities through:

caring with compassion and respect for patient rights
meeting patient, carer and family needs
responding to cultural and community needs.

Select the PGY (1–3) tabs below to view the progression of the expected skills, knowledge and behaviours across the early postgraduate years

Key clinical tasks and the workplace

The related key clinical tasks (KCT) have been designed to help you apply the Framework to your job. You can use these to obtain feedback on, and/or assessment of, your level of performance.

Select the check box next to a KCT for guidance on developing your health advocacy skills and knowledge for this task

Select the KCT title to see the complete task, related competencies and downloadable assessment form

Advocate for healthy lifestyle, and explain the environmental and lifestyle risks to health to patients, e.g. promote screening programs, vaccinations, cessation of smoking

Maintain confidentiality and privacy within the clinical setting

Is courteous and compassionate to all patients, without discrimination, regardless of a patient’s chosen lifestyle, e.g. discuss options, offer choices

Recognise the interaction between mental, physical and social wellbeing in relation to health

Demonstrate awareness of the cultural diversity and requirements of patients

Consider, and allow for, the impact of social, economic and political factors, as well as culture, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and spirituality, on patient illness and health

Advise families and carers according to the patient’s condition and wishes

Able to advise on, or help to arrange, ambulatory and community care services appropriate for each patient

Show respect for patient treatment choices

Note and understand the Enduring Power of Attorney and the Advanced Care Directives

Identify key issues on which to advocate for the patient to ensure their immediate clinical care and requirements are achieved

Recognise health needs of an individual patient beyond their immediate condition

Arrange appropriate support for a dying patient

Identify the common health issues relating to the clinical service and associated advocacy work undertaken by the hospital/health service

Recognise vulnerable or marginalised populations who may have limited access to healthcare resources within the hospital community

Consider how culture, beliefs and health literacy can affect patient understanding of their care and expectations

Recognise own cultural values/biases that may impact on role as a doctor and in interactions with others

Take into account the impact of history and experience of Indigenous Australians/Maori people, and their spirituality and relationship with the land

Adhere to the limits of patient information that can be divulged in different settings, e.g. family and carers, ward rounds, handover

Contribute to continuing education of patient support network and community groups

Contribute to the hospital’s work on prioritised health issues

Counsel patients appropriately on the benefits and risks of screening and health promotion activities

Acknowledge the potential impact of cultural differences in the acceptance of treatment for common conditions and work within those parameters

Identify own knowledge gaps in relation to different community groups, their histories and specific health issues and undertake self-directed learning

Able to advise on health needs of an individual patient beyond their immediate condition

Identify any gaps between management plan and patient wishes

Adapt communication strategy according to the culture, values and beliefs of each patient

Work with the patient/family/carers to develop a management plan that addresses the needs and preferences of the patient

Advise patients (and their families and carers) of relevant risks of options