iranian nurses’ perceptions of patient advocacy

background and purpose: one of the most important elements of nursing ethics is patient advocacy, which instills patients’ sense of independence and autonomy. nurses’ perceptions of this concept can significantly influence their advocacy role. therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess nurses’ perceptions about this phenomenon. methods: in this cross-sectional study, 385 nurses were selected via quota sampling from three hospitals, affiliated to golestan university of medical sciences, iran in 2012. data were collected, using a self-administered questionnaire for assessing nurses’ perceptions of patient advocacy (with a score range of -1 to 1). the obtained data were analyzed, using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. results: as the results indicated, nurses’ perceptions about patient advocacy were relatively positive (0.73%). moreover, there was a statistically significant relationship between patient advocacy and nurses’ educational level (p=0.01), working in different hospital wards (p<0.001), participation in workshops on patient rights (p<0.001) and working in different hospitals (p=0.01). conclusion: in this study, nurses were highly responsible regarding patient advocacy, despite the fact that patient advocacy is not considered as a professional nursing role in iran. however, further studies are required to confirm the obtained findings.