5 Best Tips to Build a Nurse-Patient Relationship

Having a strong relationship with your patients helps in fostering strong harmony. It helps nurses in understanding the physical and mental state of patients better making day to day interactions more interactive.

The importance of establishing a good rapport with your patients particularly for nurses cannot be emphasized enough. It helps you to connect better with your patients and improve offer improved patient care.

While many nurses strive to build a good nurse-patient relationship, it needs to be understood that building a good rapport is a skill learnt over the passage of time. You cannot acquire this skill overnight, rather it takes time, patience and endurance.

It needs to be noted that building a good rapport will be easier with some patients than others. However, as a healthcare provider, it is your duty to give it a try regardless of how difficult the situation may be.

Here are a few ways through which you can foster nurse-patient relationship:

1. Make Sure To Maintain Eye Contact

By maintaining eye contact with your patients, you show care and compassion for them. It gives an impression that you are empathetic and understand the patient's situation. Social touch and eye contact thereby helps in connecting better with patients.

2. Be Empathetic

Empathy is simply the ability to understand the situation, feelings and perspective of patients enabling you deliver personalized care. A nurse who is empathetic will understand and strive hard to build a lasting connection with patients.

3. Communicate Effectively

One of the primary tools to improve patient health is fostering a healthy and productive discussion. By communicating with your patients, you will be able to understand the state of mind and preferences building a good rapport down the road. A simple yet effective way is to inform patients about new orders or changes in conditions. Open communications are pivotal to the wellbeing of patients.

4. Know Your Patients

As a nurse, you need to understand that being a patient is scary. To make it better for them, take out the time to learn about them. By asking the, about their hobbies, family, loved ones, etc., you give an impression that the relationship isn't just limited to the hospital, rather it is on humanitarian grounds.

5. Practice Mirroring

By matching to the disposition, demeanor, you can establish rapport with your patient. For instance, if your patient has hearing disability, you might have to speak loudly for them to understand.
This means you have to understand your patients and adapt to their needs. A good nurse is one who is flexible, accommodating and understanding.
As a nurse, you will encounter numerous obstacles and challenges that change your outlook to healthcare and nursing. However, despite the hardships, strive to bring a smile on the face of your patients. Building a good rapport with patients will help you excel personally and professionally.