When to speak up: A guiding principle for public advocacy

Discussions about COVID-19 mitigation measures, racial justice, and other public concerns can be emotional and fraught with political peril. But they also have obvious public health implications. So when should family physicians feel compelled to speak up in the public arena?

FPM Medical Editor Sarina Schrager, MD, suggests a simple principle to guide family physicians:

"We are advocates for our patients," Schrager writes in latest issue of FPM, "whether or not we share their political beliefs. There are various levels of advocacy, ranging from personal support (e.g., completing a disabled parking permit application for a patient) to policy support (e.g., advocating that patients have access to affordable health insurance). But family physicians are obliged to engage in advocacy at all levels to support our patients and their families."

Read the full editorial in FPM: “Patient Advocacy: Family Medicine’s Founding Principle, and Still Its North Star.”