What is Advocacy
The Types of Advocacy
There is a wide spectrum of advocacy activities that are all necessary in order to improve the lives of people with cancer. At one end of the spectrum is self-advocacy, which is actively managing your own quality of care.
Patients, regardless of their medical status or economic situation must learn to take personal responsibility for understanding their cancer and ensuring that they are getting the best possible treatment and support.
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Self-advocacy can be a positive experience and often gives a person a sense of control in a time of uncertainty. Advocacy doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult—it can be as simple as asking more questions at a doctor’s appointment.
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At the other end of the spectrum is public interest advocacy, that is, communicating with lawmakers to change public policy on important issues concerning cancer-care?
It involves highlighting cancer-care issues; monitoring cases and reporting on their outcomes; as well as developing stakeholder relationships with fundamental stakeholders and facilitating solutions in a manner that ensures that all stakeholder positions are considered.
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