Facilitators of the health advocacy role practice of the nurse in Ghana: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Identifying facilitators of health advocacy role practice of nurses is important in reducing health disparities and inequities in Ghana. The struggle to reducing these disparities and inequities needs a combination of bravery, courage, and professionalism. In many instances, many barriers hinder nurses from practicing their health advocacy role in Ghana. Facilitators that motivate nurses who would perform this health advocacy role have not been identified and adequately described in Ghana. AIM: To explore and describe the facilitators of the health advocacy role of nurses in Ghana. METHODS: This qualitative study used Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory approach to collect and analyze data from 2018 to 2019 in three regions in Ghana. Semistructured interviews (n = 24) and field notes were used to collect data. RESULTS: Professional influence emerged as a core category among other three facilitators that motivate nurses to perform the health advocacy role. The other three are clientele influence, intrinsic influence, and cultural influence. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitators to the health advocacy role practice of nurses are multidimensional and hidden. In this respect, educating hospital managers on these facilitators should be done through workshops and seminars to enhance the managers' strategies of motivating nurses to advocate for the less privileged and the disadvantaged of the society.