The Nurse-Patient Relationship

1. The Nurse-Patient Relationship

2. Essential Qualities of theNurse-Patient Relationship • Rapport • Trust • Respect • Genuineness • Empathy

3. Rapport • feelings of mutual acceptance • warmth • harmony • connectedness

4. Trust • confidence in a person’s integrity, reliability, truthfulness, and desire to provide assistance • nurses earn the trust of patients by their presence and caring

5. Respect • involves a nonjudgmental approach • the belief that a client is capable of learning and growing • sometimes referred to as “unconditional positive regard”

6. Genuineness • congruence or consistency • there is a match between the verbal & nonverbal elements of a transaction • being authentic or real

7. Empathy • perceiving a situation from the client’s point of view as well as sensing the feelings and thoughts of the client • a healing presence occurs when empathy if felt and the client feels understood by the nurse