The Importance Of The Nurse Patient Relationship

The nurse patient relationship begins to develop the moment a nurse steps into a patient’s room. Rapport is often overlooked in how it can affect the care and compliance of patients. During my experience on 5100 postpartum I have to learned how important it is to develop rapport with my patient right from the moment I meet them. Patients who do not feel a connection with their nurse are more likely not to trust them and follow their instructions or guidance (Barkley, 2015) In my particular experience with a patient I did not develop good rapport right from the beginning that resulted in her begin apprehensive to receiving an immunization. I did not realize how important is for me to have a good relationship with my patient to be able to conduct

I could have been more genuine in the care of my patient, as well in my behaviors, and worked with the patient to maximize the impact of the communication (Building Rapport, 2015). I did introduce myself to the patient, I tried to greet the patient and referred to her by name, and addressed both the patient and her baby; these are all ways to begin establishing rapport (Sheldon, n.d.). When reflecting on this situation I know I lost the patient’s rapport when I began to discuss the procedure and ask the patient questions about her history. Most importantly I didn’t show enough genuineness to my patient. Genuineness is described as the willingness to be open and not hide behind the professional role (Sheldon, n.d.). A nurse accepts the primary responsibility for setting the structure and purpose of the relationship. This means that I need to use a patient centered approach to develop the relationship and meet my patient’s needs (“Three Ways to Build”, 2015). I must establish a rapport with my patients by integrating respect, empathy, trust genuineness, and in confidentiality into every interaction (Sheldon,