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...
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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).
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The application of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship is absolutely essential to providing the appropriate care to clients (College of Nurses of Ontario, 1999, p. 3). The therapeutic nurse client relationship consists of four components; respect, trust, professional intimacy and empathy (College of Nurses of Ontario, 1999, p. 3). Though, I have not been able to establish a nurse-client relationship yet, I have established customer-client relationships. Customers react similarly to clients when respect is established. One experience in particular really helped me make this comparison.
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...
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)
This literature critique reviews Catherine McCabe’s article, Nurse-patient communication: an exploration of patients’ experiences (McCabe, 2002). She has obtained many degrees related to health care (Registered General Nurse, Bachelor of Nursing Science, Registered Nurse Teacher, and Master Level Nursing) has many years of experience and is currently teaching at Trinity Center for Health Sciences. As stated in the title, this study will review the patient’s interactions with nurses in relation to their communication. This study used a qualitative approach, as stated within the article, by viewing the life experiences of the participants.
A therapeutic relationship is a key component in the nursing profession. Without therapeutic relationships, the best possible care can never be provided. The foundation in which trust is built upon is created from the nurse’s ability to truly listen and respond appropriately. Listening creates the base in developing a strong, trusting relationship. Sometimes it is simply hearing what a patient says that makes all the difference, empowering them to open up and become more comfortable with the nurse (Hawkins-Walsh, 2000).
The purpose of Pepau’s theory of interpersonal relationships in nursing is to focus on nurse-patient relationship and identify different roles nurse take when caring for patient. Consensus exist that theories are made up of ideas called concept and statement about...
Nurses are an equally important part of each client’s life. Nurses provide stable care to each client, answers their questions, gives medications and treatments, and assists with medical procedures. They also have the responsibility to explain to clients and family members what they should and should not do as they go through treatment and recovery. Nurses must quickly respond to patients needs. Every individual nurse has his or her own unique way of caring. There are so many ways to show caring that the possibilities are never ending. Nurse’s support, comfort, and help allow the patients to recover to the best of their ability. Their experiences in dealing with different patients that have unique situations on a daily basis helps the nurses become better caregivers. Therefore, every nurse is capable of demonstrating care in their respective environments.
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.
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
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
The term ‘Therapeutic communication’ identifies the way in which a nurse and patient interact, with the main focus being on advancing the emotional well-being of a patient; (Sherko E., et al, 2013) nurses will use this to deliver support and information to Edna. Effective communication skills are essential within nursing and are often seen as one of the main skills necessary for nurses to support patients and their families (Bramhall E, 2014). There are many forms of therapeutic communication that can be used in