Nurse-Client

Relationship

The

nurse-client relationship is an interaction

aimed to enhance the well-being of a client,
which may be an individual, a family, a group,
or a community. Peplaus theory is of high
relevance to the nurse-client relationship,
with one of its major aspects being that both
the nurse and the client become more
knowledgeable and mature over the course of
their relationship. Peplau believed that the
relationship depended on the interaction of
the thoughts, feelings, and actions of each
person and that the patient will experience
better health when all their specific needs are
fully considered in the relationship.

ELEMENTS
Boundaries

Boundaries are integral part of the nurseclient relationship. They represent invisible
structures imposed by legal, ethical, and
professional standards of nursing that
respect the rights of nurses and clients.
These boundaries ensure that the focus of
the relationship remains on the clients
needs, not only by word but also by law.

Confidentiality

This makes the relationship safe and

establish trust. The patient should feel
comfortable disclosing personal
information and asking questions. The
nurse is to share information only with
professional staff that needs to know and
obtain the clients written permission to
share information with others outside the
treatment team.

Communication skills for nurses

For

a nurse, the ability to communicate is

a very important skill and a vital part of
the job. Nurses speak to people of varying
educational, cultural, and social
backgrounds and must do so in an
effective, caring, and professional manner.

10 Tips to Improve
Communication Skills

1. Speak slowly
Certain words sound very similar to
one another if they are spoken very
quickly. Take the time to speak slowly and
carefully, and your words may be less
likely to be mistaken by others.

2. Speak Clearly, Not Loudly

With some people, especially those who
are elderly, the inclination might be to
raise your voice dramatically in an effort
to make them understand you. Shouting
only tends to make it harder to
comprehend what you are saying. Instead
of speaking louder, try speaking more
clearly.

3. Avoid using Slang

A common mistake that many people
make is to try to use bigger and more
complicated words. Another common
mistake is to try to use slang terms that
are not appropriate. Avoid both of these
mistakes for better communication.

4. Remember your Audience

What you might say to a doctor or a
fellow nurse might be very different from
what you would say to a patient or a
patients family.

5. Stop and Listen

One of the most important skills you
can have for effective communication is
being able to actually stop and listen to
what is being said by the other person.
Listening is a very powerful
communication tool.

6. Reflect
To make sure that the communication is
flowing, learn the simple trick of reflecting
on what the person is saying to you. To do
so, you simply repeat what has been said
in your own words, back to the person. If
you are wrong, the person can say so
before you walk away.

7. Use Body Language

In addition to the words that you say,
you communicate with those around you
with your face, your hands, your posture
etc. Make sure that what you are saying
are in agreement, and you are not
sending conflicting messages.

8. Know Your Communication

Roadblock
If you have ever stumbled on a word or
you have ever found yourself so frustrated
that you could not communicate at all,
then you know the roadblocks. Everyone
has a few of them, knowing yours can
help you find ways around those issues.
For instance, if you know that a person
crying will effectively make your
communication skills disintegrate then
learn ways to manage your situations
better.

9. Consider Learning a Foreign

Language
It might sound strange but learning a
new language puts you in better touch
with your native tongue and can open
your eyes to the way you use the words
you already know.

10. Dont Forget Other Methods of

Communication
In addition to speaking and listening,
dont forget that there are other skills that
you should work on such as reading and
writing.

How to Build Rapport

with our Patients

1.

Get to know them.

To build a relationship, it is more
important to know more about your
patients than just their disease. Relating
to hobbies, children, or other interests
might help the patient feel comfortable,
and it might lessen the overall anxiety of
the visit.

2. Educate
Patients trust us, along with their
physicians, to be their educators. They
want to understand their treatment
options and disease consequences. It is
important for them to have an
understanding of the healing process so
that they can make educated choices.

3. Anticipate their Needs

Whether in the acute care or primary
care setting, learn to anticipate your
patients needs. This will show them that
you do care and want to provide them
with the best plan of care possible.

4. Follow through
To build credibility. It is essential to
follow through with what you say you are
going to do. For instance, if you tell your
patient that you are going to call her with
a list of diabetic educators, do it! This
shows that you care and that you can be
trusted.

5. Make other care providers aware.

Make sure that the other members of
the patients care team are familiar with
each other. Some of them might have
similar interests, and this can create an
atmosphere of comfort and trust.

6. Respectfully call them by their Name

With a heavy nurse-patient ratio, it is a
challenge to remember each patients name
all the time. However, nothing shows respect
better than taking the time to call our
patients by their name. This little act will go
a long way in making your patients feel more
comfortable and at ease with you. Make sure
to note his or her response in your chart and
share this with the rest of the nursing staff.

7. Listen Actively
Active listening is important in any
partnership and/or relationship. But when
discussing treatment options or plans of
care, listen actively to your patient by
providing eye contact and/or by
responding to their comments. This
demonstrate appreciation and value.

8. Remain Calm and Friendly.

We all have our personal bias but it is
important to respect our patients
preferences and choices. It is equally
important to make eye-contact and
appropriate non-verbal gestures when
communicating.

9. Offer Appropriate Greetings and

Closings.
When greeting your patient, whether in the
hospital or in primary care setting introduce
yourself as the nurse and offer that your
goal is to promote well-being. In the
hospital, it is often helpful to round with the
incoming nurses and introduce them to the
patient. Dont forget to use their name!