What is advocacy?

Neurology is concerned with diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and neuromuscular system. Neurological diseases can be acute or chronic, and residual or progressive disease often leaves patients with handicaps and disability. Besides many frequent neurological diseases as stroke, epilepsy, movement disorders and others, neurology also includes rare and orphan diseases. In addition to science, treatment, and care, patients and carers often need support at various levels and for distinct problems ranging from individual to global issues, which will be defined as the micro-, meso-, and macro levels. Advocacy, originally defined as ‘giving a voice’ to patients and creating awareness, becomes an essential component of neurological practice. The term advocacy is used in medical, social, and several other contexts. Advocacy usually requires an advocate, client, or object, and usually another party or position is present. In the medical context, advocacy is often fuelled by altruistic elements. Advocacy in neurology can be achieved by different methods and at different levels. This chapter provides an introduction to the edited volume on ‘Advocacy in Neurology’ and gives an outlook on what the reader can gain from this book by summarizing recurrent themes and highlighting different approaches in individual chapters.