Therapeutic nurse-patient relationships lay the groundwork for successful care and rehabilitation of a patient in any setting. Whether the patient is in a nursing home, hospital, or receiving home care, a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is vital to the care of the patient. A therapeutic nurse-patient relationship can be defined as a professional relationship between the nurse and the patient that, “focuses on the client, is goal directed, and has defined parameters” (Craven & Hirnle, 2009, p. 329). The best way to understand exactly what a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is is to look into the characteristics of the relationship. As previously stated, the therapeutic relationship focuses on the client and their goals. In contrast with a social relationship, the actions of both the nurse and patient are dedicated to the needs of the patient. Nurse and patient work together to attain the goals set for the patient. Although the nurse may enjoy interacting with the patient, this is not the purpose of the relationship. The parameters of the relationship are defined to ensure that the relationship does not curve in that direction. Parameters include, “[the] relationship is terminated when goals are met and service no longer needed” (Craven & Hirnle, 2009, p. 330). This ensures that boundaries are not crossed and the nurse-patient relationship stays a professional one. In the nurse-patient relationship, there are three phases that help the relationship develop. Craven and Hirnle (2009) describe the first phase, orientation, “consists of introductions and agreement between nurse and client about their mutual roles and responsibilities” (p. 329). It is in this orientation phase that first impressions are made a... ... middle of paper ... ...., Jones, G., & Linscott, J. (2006). The experience of being listened to: a qualitative study of older adults in long-term care settings. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 32(1), 46-53. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database. Kotecki, C. (2002). Baccalaureate nursing students' communication process in the clinical setting. Journal of Nursing Education, 41(2), 61-68. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database. McNeill, C., Shattell, M., Rossen, E., & Bartlett, R. (2008). Relationship skills building with older adults. Journal of Nursing Education, 47(6), 269-271. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database. Williams, K., Kemper, S., & Hummert, L. (2004). Enhancing communication with older adults: overcoming elderspeak. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 30(10), 17-25. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.
This paper is being submitted on January 31, 2017, for Eugenie Cook’s Fundamentals of Professional Nursing Course.
Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K. (2012). Toward healthy aging: Human needs & nursing response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Mosby.
Houde, S., & Melillo, K. (2009). Caring for an aging population. Journal Of Gerontological Nursing, 35(12), 9-13. doi:10.3928/00989134-20091103-04
Therapeutic relationship is an essential part of nursing; it is the foundation of nursing (CNO, 2009). The National Competency Standard for Registered Nurses state that nurses are responsible for “establishing, sustaining and concluding professional relationship with individuals/groups.” Throughout this essay the importance of forming a therapeutic relationships will be explained. The process of building a therapeutic relationship begins from prior to time of contact with a patient, the interpersonal skills of the nurse; then the process includes skills required by the nurse to communicate effectively, including respect, trust, non-judgment and empathy. The way to portray these skills can be via verbal or non-verbal cues that are important to understand how they influence a person. The process and skills listed below are all relevant to nurses working in the contemporary hospital environment today.
A therapeutic relationship with a client is a well planned and goal oriented connection between the clinician and the client in order to meet the therapeutic needs.
Upon the first point of contact between a nurse and patient, the way a nurse communicates through words, gestures or facial expressions can affect the patient's perception of the nurse. Communicating professionally helps to portray the nurse in a good light. This is important as having a positive perception of the nurse's image and behaviour is crucial to building patient trust — one of the key elements of a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship (Bell & Duffy, 2009; Wadell & Skarsater, 2007). The need for the establishment of therapeutic relationship is supported by th...
In conclusion, I have discussed the psychosocial, biological and nursing theories of aging that most align and best explain my personal views of successful aging. I have also identified the changing demographics of the older adult population that is now and soon will be seeking healthcare, and the influences and demands it will have on healthcare professionals in the future.
Touhy, T.A., Jett, K. F. Boscart, V., & McCleary, L. (2012). Ebersole and Hess’ gerontological nursing and health aging (1st Canadian ed.). Toronto: Elsevier Canada. (Chapter 10 p. 164)
An important step to decrease an ageist attitude is to take a step back and recognize biases and preconceived ideas that one has about older adults (DeBrew, 2015). Recognizing biases in combination with furthering one’s education about the effects of aging and the specific needs of older adults will help increase compassionate care. To allow for effective interventions it is important that the nurse understand that illness and infection manifest differently in older adults than they do in the younger population (DeBrew, 2015). In addition, through ethnographic study it was found that when nurses spend time doing activities with older adults it helps strengthen relationships and sense of community between care providers and elderly patients (DeBrew, 2015). According to the article, “occupational therapists who worked with older adults felt ‘stigmatized’ by their peers because their work was viewed as less challenging and requiring less skill and intellect than caring for other populations” (DeBrew, 2015). To promote compassionate patient care it is important that nurses and other professionals get support from their peers to confirm that their work is not insignificant and looked down upon. Finally, include the older adult while creating the plan of care to show them that they are a valued part of their healthcare
Every person’s needs must be recognized, respected, and filled if he or she must attain wholeness. The environment must attuned to that wholeness for healing to occur. Healing must be total or holistic if health must be restored or maintained. And a nurse-patient relationship is the very foundation of nursing (Conway et al 2011; Johnson, 2011). The Theory recognizes a person’s needs above all. It sets up the conducive environment to healing. It addresses and works on the restoration and maintenance of total health rather than only specific parts or aspect of the patient’s body or personality. And these are possible only through a positive healing relationship between the patient and the nurse (Conway et al, Johnson).
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
Nurse-Patient. Collaboration within a nurse and patient relationship is essential to adhere to the care plan and optimize outcomes. Nurse patient relationship is established through rapport and a trusting relationship. In order
There are five key components to a nurse-client relationship: respect, trust, empathy, professional intimacy and power (CNO, 2006). The nurse did not show that she respected the patient as she avoided the patient’s questions and even abruptly silenced the patient, showing the abuse of power, while performing blood pressure reading. This made the patient lose trust in the nurse’s ability and capacity to care. The patient started to feel anxious and kept inquiring to see the doctor (Video, 2008). There are three phases to establishing a therapeutic relationship: orientation phase, working phase and ending phase (RNAO, 2002). If the nurse were to respond to this situation again, in the interest of developing a therapeutic relationship with the client, she would have entered the room and greeted the patient by his name, introduced herself and her role. Then oriented the patient to the goal and expectation of the interview. She would have requested consent to perform vital signs and physical exam. Actively listened to the patient’s questions and concerns. Showed empathy, demonstrated professional intelligence, humility and willingness to help while being aware of the boundaries and the limits of professional role (RNAO, 2002). This type of behavior would make the patient feel comfortable with the nurse and would reduce his state of anxiety. Rosenberg and Gallo-Silver (2011) supports this positive patient outcome by indicating that the nurse’s skill in executing therapeutic communication helps reduce stress and establish rapport with the client. However, there are some factors that might constrain the nurse from responding in this manner. One main factor is time. To achieve a therapeutic relationship it requires time and commitment. Use of this time can affect care towards other clients and work place dynamics
Therapeutic relationship is well-defined as the process of interrelating, that concentration on advancing the physical and emotional comfort of a patient. Nurses use therapeutic practices to provide support and evidence to patients. It may be compulsory to use a variation of techniques to achieve nursing goals in collaborating with a patient. By discovering the reluctance of the patient to study, as well as the opinions and beliefs of the client and their family, the nurse work together with the client to discoveraexplanation. The...
This posting is about the elderly and their reminiscence of their own life. Throughout the post, I will discuss some of the difficulties I have experienced in providing care for the elderly. Furthermore, I will describe my own thoughts and feelings about the required video and what changes I will include in my nursing practice after watching the video.