
Monica Lawrence
On a busy ward, it’s not always possible to take the time you’d like to get to know patients, but building rapport vastly improves the quality of care we provide, so we need to think creatively on how we can achieve this.
Over time, a reciprocal partnership between a patient and their nurse will more likely lead to trust, minimise fear and anxiety, and facilitate disclosure of important personal information to assist with decisions based on their care. The more vulnerable the patient, the more trust is needed, the harder it is to generate.
From my experience, building rapport and eventually, trust, can be achieved through sharing information with your patient while you are assisting them in the shower, making their bed or attending to their wound dressings. Quite often, I would take patients for a walk outside in a wheel chair during my lunch break so we could both enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. In between attending to the care of my other patients, I would frequently pop in to see if they were okay to minimise feelings of isolation and reassure them that I will return.
About Monica Lawrence
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