ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - NURSING

The therapeutic relationship between a nurse and a patient

The therapeutic relationship between an nurse and a patient

Introduction

The communication process between a nurse and a patient comprises of many skills form the nurse's side rather than the patient's side. The more effective the communication, the more comfort will be felt by the patient. To establish a therapeutic relationship with a client or a patient, the major communication skills which are required by a nurse include active listening, sharing empathy, using touch, clarifying the whole situation and the process to the patient and silence when it is required. It is very important for a nurse to develop a strong emotional relationship with a patient in order to get more effective and better results (Thorne, et al, 2005, pp.887-898).

Active listening

Cognitively processing and listening all the verbal and non-verbal information is involved in active listening. Active listening is a major step in developing a better relationship with the patient which helps in understanding all the psychological and physiological situation of the patient more accurately. Better customized assessments can be carried out by a nurse upon understanding the health of the patient through active listening. Active listening also leads to higher levels of satisfaction from the patient's side. Many factors are involved in active listening which start from the introduction between the patient and the nurse. Then the emotions of the patient are assessed closely and the mind is kept open for any sort of spontaneous signs. While the patient is telling about his or her condition, there should be no interruption from the nurse's side (Morse, et al, 2006, pp.67-75).

The information gathering and observing process is a major component of active listening. The assessment of the patient's verbal communication and information with the body language is very important in understanding the actual situation of the patient. It is common with some patients that they feel difficulty in communicating with the nurses because of the communication issues and in such cases; it is a nurse's duty to assess the health situation of the patient through the body language of the patient. Assessment of the tone of the voice of the patient is also included in active listening. The tone of the patient tells about the depression level of the patient. Objective listening i.e. listening without imposing judgment is also a major role of a nurse in active listening (Thorne, et al, 2005, pp.887-898). Moreover, it is a nurse's role to avoid distractions for the patient by involving in the communication in a way in which the patient feels comfortable. The focus of the nurse should be completely on the verbal and nonverbal communication of the patient (Morse, et al, 2006, pp.67-75).

Sharing Empathy

In nursing, the term empathy has been under a lot of discussion. Empathy is a method in which the nurses move from generalized information to a specific sort of information about a patient. A nurse is able to realize the situation for improving the health of the patient through empathy (Hojat, et ...