The American Board of Internal Medicine has called for “a commitment to the promotion of public health and preventative medicine, as well as public advocacy on the part of each physician.”1 In our responsibility to preserve and promote human life, physicians are not only uniquely positioned for advocacy but also inherently assume the role of becoming health care activists.
Dr. Sadeea Q. Abbasi
The American Medical Association has defined physician advocacy as promoting “social, economic, educational, and political changes that ameliorate suffering and contribute to human well being.”2 For health care professionals, this translates into ensuring the concerns and best interests of patients are at the core of all decisions.3 For generations, physicians have taken extra steps for patient care in daily practice, including submitting prior authorizations, performing peer review, and taking part in family meetings. Many doctors also participate on hospital committees and boards for quality improvement measures and are leaders in designing strategies to improve patient safety and health care experiences. Although these examples may be viewed as a fundamental part of daily practice, in fact, these roles are consistent with advocacy on a local level. A significant number of physicians participate in medical education, research, and societal duties, which include formulating and reviewing guidelines for medical practice. Participation in conference organizing committees and reviewing medical journals are likewise not uncommon roles among medical practitioners. These efforts to provide education to improve patient care are also forms of advocacy on a national or regional level but often viewed as a standard in professionalism.4
It is on the federal and political level in advocacy where physician representation is critical. Health legislation is enacted by Congress and signed into law by the president of the United States.5 These laws can drastically affect clinical practice and patient care, especially in the realm of preventive medicine and pharmaceuticals. Gastroenterology is a unique field in which a large portion of practice is dedicated to cancer prevention, by screening age-appropriate individuals and monitoring high-risk patients. The field is rapidly expanding in the pharmaceutical area with new medications for inflammatory bowel disease and groundbreaking treatments for viral hepatitis. The breadth of practice in gastroenterology calls for antiquated laws to be changed to accommodate the development of patient care guidelines. With physicians representing less than 3% of Congress,6 the rules that govern our practice are largely left to those unfamiliar with the delivery of health care.
Lack of experience, limited time, and a tradition in medicine that prefers physicians to be apolitical are each contributing factors for reduced participation in federal advocacy.7 Professional GI societies, including the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, have a presence in public policy to educate lawmakers and promote statutes in gastroenterology. The involvement of these organizations in legislation is critical since public policy directly affects the interests and well-being of patients.
