Did you know that nurse and patient relationships, when approached properly, are extremely effective when it comes to boosting the health of the patient? It has an impact on everything, from taking proper care of the patient to listening to them, building trust, providing knowledge, and even advocating for the patient’s unmet needs.
This type of professional relationship can help both the nurse practitioner and the patient. It also helps improve satisfaction and enhance the overall experience.
Understanding the importance of a nurse and patient relationships
Working as a nurse practitioner can be extremely rewarding. However, nurses may experience a lot of stress at times, and this can often be tough on someone working in this field. This is why nurses need to establish healthy relationships with their patients, in addition to understanding how to talk and interact with them daily. Not only will this help and support the patient in getting better sooner, but it can help nurses to feel more satisfied and happier in their role.
Finding that balance between compassion, professionalism, and empathy is essential for nurses to connect with the patients they are treating, as well as their families and loved ones. For professionals who are looking to gain clinical experience, benefit from strong academics, improve the lives of others, and have a fulfilling and rewarding nursing career where you can build a great relationship with all your patients, the Baylor online ABSN program could be the ideal choice.
This accelerated program is an intensive full-time program that includes interactive learning courses, clinical and lab experiences, and online courses. If you do not have a nursing education but want to break into this field, you can do so as long as you have a degree in another discipline.
Key points in building a strong nurse and client relationship
As a healthcare professional, the first thing you are required to do is introduce yourself to the patient and let them know who you are and how you can help them. This shows the patient that you have great interpersonal skills and are willing to get to know them and not just do your job.
You can also practice effective communication skills by keeping note of the patient’s worries and concerns, listening to them, maintaining eye contact, and understanding what they say to you. This allows you to maintain professionalism while also improving your patient experience overall.
Another way you can build a strong relationship with your patients as a nurse practitioner is to ensure that their basic needs are met. Some patients may be worried about certain procedures and operations. Your job is to make sure they are comfortable, check on them, reassure them, and interact with their loved ones and family members so you can create a good rapport with them. This will allow them to have faith in the care you offer them.
Why is a nurse and patient relationships critical?
As a nurse practitioner, your relationship with each patient is important, which is why you need to take proper action to improve your patient’s care and their overall experience. For example, in a medical facility or a hospital, many nurse practitioners will see the same patients repeatedly. Developing a strong bond with these patients makes them feel better each time they come in and may even make their treatment seem easier.
In a long-term medical setting, such as cancer wards, nursing homes, or end-of-life care, patients require a lot of compassion, support, and attention, even though you’ll be working with the same faces for months or even years.
A study published in Sage Journals concluded that a nurse and patient relationships involves certain complex behaviors and implications which, if done in the right manner, are linked to improvements in patient health outcomes. Here are some of the main reasons a nurse and patient relationships is essential in every healthcare setting.
Patients know that they are heard
Taking time to develop a strong bond with your patients shows them that someone cares. This is especially important if you tend to see your patient every couple of weeks or months. This will increase their overall trust in you and other healthcare professionals and make them feel more at ease, which can be useful if the patients have to undergo any procedure. As a nurse, you will be required to facilitate care and treatments.
Understanding and listening to your patient, caring for their comfort and safety, and even interacting with their family members allows your patient to feel special. This can help them to recover quickly and seamlessly.
In certain cases, patients may be compelled to go to a detox center or a deaddiction medical facility by their family members when their addiction gets out of control. Talking to such patients and listening to them vent can help them feel more comfortable.
They will then trust you more, which makes them less likely to question your judgment and more willing to follow the care advice that you give them. When you adopt this approach, it provides patients with the emotional support they need and can help them get better and feel less stressed.
A positive relationship improves patient care quality
Most professionals feel that patient care is not the only advantage of a good nurse-patient relationship. When NPs and RNs can respond to their patient’s emotions and show them compassion and care in the right manner, it can improve patient health and allow them to feel at ease and less stressed. This, in turn, can reduce the length of their stay in the hospital and help patients get back to familiar surroundings.
Along with being trained and skilled, most medical institutions and top hospitals look for these qualities in nurses as they emphasize good relationships between their staff and patients.
Many new nurses may not understand how critical nurse and patient relationships are. The fact remains that these relationships are essential, especially in settings where patients are stressed and require frequent reassurance. As a nurse, dealing kindly and compassionately with patients, supporting them during their treatment, and ensuring the right patient care will not only improve the level of care but also treatment outcomes.
