Hospitals are places we go to for care, safety, and expertise. We trust the professionals around us to listen, assess, and treat us with compassion. Most of the time, healthcare workers do incredible work under immense pressure. But even within good systems, patients can sometimes feel unheard. That is why learning to advocate for yourself in a hospital setting is so important.

Advocating for yourself does not mean being difficult or distrustful. It means recognising that your voice matters when it comes to your health, your body, and your wellbeing.

No one knows your body better than you do.

If something feels wrong, if pain is worsening, or if you feel your concerns are being brushed aside, it is okay to speak up. Ask questions. Ask for clarification. Ask for another opinion if something does not feel right. Healthcare works best when it is a partnership between medical professionals and the patient.

Unfortunately, history has shown that not every patient’s concerns are taken equally seriously.

Over the years, research and public conversations have highlighted troubling disparities in how patients are treated. Black women in particular have repeatedly spoken out about experiences where their pain or symptoms were dismissed or minimised in medical settings. These stories gained renewed global attention in recent years, including in 2024 when international media again highlighted cases where women reported feeling ignored during serious medical situations.

These conversations are not about blaming individual healthcare workers. Instead, they are about recognising that systemic biases and gaps in communication can exist within healthcare systems. When these issues are acknowledged, it opens the door for improvement, accountability, and better patient care for everyone.

Listening to patients should always be the starting point of good medicine.

For many women, especially during pregnancy, labour, and postpartum recovery, advocating for themselves can feel particularly difficult. Pain can be intense, emotions are high, and there can be a natural instinct to trust that everything happening is normal. But if something does not feel right, it is important to say so.

Sometimes advocating for yourself is as simple as saying:

“I’m still in a lot of pain. Can we reassess what’s happening?”

Other times it might mean asking:

“Can you explain why this is happening?”

“Is there another option?”

“Could a senior doctor review this?”

These are reasonable questions, and any good healthcare team should welcome them.

Advocacy also extends beyond speaking up for yourself. If you have a partner, family member, Doula or friend present, they can help support your voice too. Many people bring a trusted person with them to appointments or hospital stays so there is someone else listening, asking questions, and helping ensure concerns are heard.

Your health matters. Your comfort matters. Your concerns matter.

Advocating for yourself is not about confrontation. It is about partnership, awareness, and ensuring you receive the care you deserve.

Medicine works best when patients feel empowered to speak and healthcare professionals are willing to listen. When both happen together, outcomes improve and trust grows.

And every patient deserves to be heard.

• A young black girl