Rapport Essay

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Rapport is a relationship between two people that involves mutual trust and understanding. Rapport is usually established in the first moments of interaction between the doctor and patient. A “therapeutic alliance” is a positive doctor-patient relationship where empathy, mutual trust, and respect thrives (Leach, 2005). When meeting a new patient there should be no presumptions except that the patient has important and relevant information to share with the doctor (Kelley, et al., 2014). Effective communication is essential for building rapport. This can be done by reassuring the patient, using non-judgmental body language, explaining results, and allowing the patient to ask questions. Some behaviors and skills that enhance rapport include having a positive emotional state, being open minded, establishing eye contact, effectively communicating, and finding common ground with the patient (Dang, Westbrook, Niue, & Giordano, 2017). These actions will help the patient feel less …show more content…

Stress, anxiety, and vulnerability can be present in both parties at the first encounter. It is important for the doctor to be in a state that is gathered, calm, attentive, and ready to receive information. The ability to create an environment of trust, respect, and security where the patient can adequately share health conditions, concerns, and goals is a skill that doctors should develop precisely.

The doctor-patient relationship is important because it has a statistically significantly outcome on the patients’ prognosis (Kelley, et al., 2014). Proper rapport has been show to positively affect the quality of care, patient’s progress, and even emotional state of the patient (Dang, Westbrook, Njue, & Giordano, 2017). Overall, it is important to remember the therapeutic role of the relationship in order to adequately and effectively treat patients. Establishing rapport should be a primary concern for the

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