Are nurses being heard? The power of Freirean dialogue to transform the nursing profession

Abstract

Nurses need to acquire knowledge about interactive communication, apply critical thinking in prevention and management of illness, and act as patient advocates especially among marginalized and vulnerable populations. This three-pronged approach usually begin during their student years and should include a dialogue framework for use during nursing encounters with patients, family members, and other healthcare providers and for improving the safety and effectiveness of patient care. Therefore, the nursing curriculum should not only include topics related to illness prevention and management, but also prepare nurses to identify and advocate for social justice and health equality by creating a lively and interactive learning environment to allow nurses to build their self-confidence to act and become change agents. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated a nursing shortage and led to limited access to services and poor quality of care for all, underscores the urgency of the Freirean dialogic approach of action-reflection-action. Using this approach, all stakeholders collaborate, discuss, and implement solutions, grow together, and become change agents toward improving nursing care for all.