Seven Tips For Nurses To Build Good Relationships With Patients

While doctors are primarily responsible for diagnosing and prescribing treatments, nurses usually carry out the instructions. In addition, nurses are generally the first people patients encounter when they walk into a healthcare facility and look up to for immediate assistance. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to state that nurses are potentially the strongest link in the chain of delivering quality care services.

As a nurse, it is thus essential for you to build a healthy work relationship with your patients. Not only does this represent your professional etiquette, but it also helps in dispensing good care services. Establishing a good rapport with your patients helps you excel in your day-to-day work and interactions. On the other hand, a nurse-patient relationship tainted by distrust, discomfort, and unprofessionalism will affect patients’ willingness to communicate and seek treatment. It will also tarnish the facility’s reputational capital.

Learning the art of building good relationships with your patients does not happen overnight. It takes time and experience. You may even want to take up courses to develop and polish your soft skills. Fortunately, the internet is an excellent resource for discovering such opportunities. You can search for flexible online courses that enable you to hone your interpersonal communication skills while still working. If you’re already a qualified nurse, you can even enroll in online DNP programs to receive advanced leadership training. This way, you’ll be able to set a benchmark for RNs and other junior healthcare staff on how to behave with and treat patients. Or, you could think about taking medical courses which allow you to get your PALS certification online and add a new skill to your set of qualifications. With that said, listed below are some tips that you should start working on to build a healthy nurse-patient relationship.

Introduce yourself properly

A nice, brief introduction is a must for a healthy patient-nurse relationship. It sets the foundation on which future interactions and treatment depend. Therefore, always introduce yourself, tell your patients your name, what you will do, etc. Ask them their names, why they are here, what services do they require. Though this process is part of the drill, it gets ignored because of the busy schedule and lack of time. 

Maintain eye contact

By maintaining eye contact, you demonstrate an interest in what your patients have to say. Your eyes do all the talking while you attempt to show compassion and empathize with them. If you do not make eye contact, your patients’ may feel as if you don’t care enough and, as a result, may get agitated. Also, you’ll miss visual cues that might be indicators of their medical problems. So, always look carefully.

Be a good listener

Active listening is an essential part of healthcare. Whenever your patient is talking, listen to them carefully, and ask more follow-up questions to discover more details. While listening to patients’ grievances, try to smile at them, nod a little, and engage with their conversation. This way, they see that you care. As a result, they’ll begin to trust you even more. Another tip is to restate what the patients say. This way, they’ll know that you’re paying attention to what they’re saying.

Be empathetic

Empathy is the ability to understand or share the feelings of one another. In the medical profession, developing this skill is paramount. Always be empathetic towards your patients. It’s a fact that everyone feels nervous and vulnerable in a hospital. As a nurse, you must make your patients feel comfortable. An empathic nurse prioritizes the patients, understands their concerns and will work hard to develop a good relationship.

Communicate effectively

According to a study, good communication reduces the risk of medical errors and ensures better care for patients. Therefore, speak clearly when addressing them and their attendants. It would help to try to simplify medical jargon to avoid any confusion. Also, being multi-lingual helps in some cases. Consider learning a second language such as French or Spanish. Have a detailed discussion on their medical conditions and the treatment plan. Always inform them about any changes in the treatment or their prognosis. Keep your patient updated so that they trust you.

Be honest

Being honest is highly appreciated, but it gets brutal sometimes. It is intriguing to provide comfort to the patients by assuring them that everything will be fine but be sure about it. Patients always appreciate honesty though accepting the truth may feel like swallowing a bitter pill. Avoid making false promises. Keeping your word is the most effective way to build up a rapport with patients. If you promise to do something, do it on time. Trust once lost is lost forever. 

Have patience

This will come in handy, especially when dealing with kids and elderly patients. A good nurse is always patient and consistent. It is difficult to be patient all the time because of the constant workload and pressure. Sometimes the patients also give a hard time to their care provider, especially when they are in pain. They might get cranky. Try developing effective coping mechanisms to deal with situations instead of losing your calm. Try to match patients’ demeanor and rhythm. If the patient is loud, try to synchronize with their tone to create a bond. Always be consistent with your methods of dealing and find a way out to bring yourself back to the proper manner. 

Conclusion

Building up a healthy patient-nurse relationship is not an easy task. Regardless of the setting in which you treat patients, it creates a ripple effect. If patients are comfortable with you, they will trust you. A good rapport with the patient helps deliver quality healthcare. Therefore, try these tips. Introduce yourself properly, maintain eye contact, be a good listener, empathize, hone your communication skills, be honest, and be patient. By doing so, not only will you become a better nurse, but also everyone’s favorite one.