Abstract

Over the years, the issue of nurse-patient relationship has highly been under looked in the less developed countries by researchers and medical practitioners, thereby putting patients at the suffering end. Although some studies pointed out that, nurse-patients relationship is a good indicator to patients care and recovery, most nurses and patients lack a proper understanding of this rapport.

The study aimed at assessing knowledge and practice of nurse-patient relationship among nurse interns at the Limbe Regional Hospital. The study focused on, finding out patients’ knowledge on therapeutic nurse patient relationship, to identify the strategies used by nurse interns for effective nurse-patients relationship and to find out the challenges faced by nurse interns to maintain good nurse-patients relation.

To achieve this, data was generate through questionnaires administered to patients using random sampling. Results revealed that 85.9% of the nurse understood what nurse-patient relationship is all about. The knowledge of nurse-patient relationship to patients care provision was supported by a majority of (64.7%), and poor follow up of patient’s medication via nurse’s neglect was the main negative effect suffered by patients indicated by 34.1% respondents.

As a positive effect, a majority (53.3%) of the respondents reported that, a good nurse-patient relationship helps in a patient’s speedy recovery due to proper care. It was however concluded that, nurse interns of Limbe Regional hospital had knowledge of nurse-patients relationship and regarded it to be vital in the care.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The word ‘relationship’ originated from the verb ‘to relate’ which in the context of nursing, is to develop caring feelings towards the patient based on the nurse’s understanding of the concern.

Nurse-patient relationship involves an emotional connection between people that always present and is fundamental to every moment of nursing practice (Doane and Varcoe, 2005). This emotional association is made apparent through the nurse competency and their possession of the knowledge and experience of professional wisdom (Hailorsdittir, 2008; Klerman, 2009). According to Levy-Storm et al. (2011), individual care can be influenced by interpersonal communication which involves nurse and patient from different perspective. Therefore, the nurse may be required to focus on need to build person-centred rather than nurse or task-focus because the interpersonal relationship is a key element in nursing. The nurses will need good communication skills when caring for patient in order to assess, implement and evaluate care. Communication creates the pillars for interpersonal relationship.

Nurse-patients relationships have been an area of intensive research over time. The nurse uses caring practice such as listening, comforting, therapeutic touch. Nurse-patient is important in that, it enhance healing, if this relationship exist, the patient will disclose the trust about his/her problem and proper medication will be given and will thus promote healing.

Nurse-patient relationship is essential to the nurse in that, it enable the nurse to give proper diagnosis about the patient condition. It also enables the nurse to have an in-depth about the patient’s medical history.

Nurses are often able to develop a more personal relationship with the patient opposed to doctors. In contrast to the science and technology based medical profession of doctors, nursing is the expert in caring, humanity, human kindness, empathy (Maatha20060). Nurses display more empathy and emotions in their interaction with patients. However, nurses must negotiate the emotions boundary closeness and distance. Despite the need for nurses to be able emotionally relate to their patient, being able to maintain a certain distance from their patient is also considered an important part of the relationship because it allows nurses to keep an objective point of view (Maatta 2006). Additionally, this distance, and emphasis on objectivity is seen as a way of maintaining sense professionalism in nurses.

However, the concept of distance is not new to nursing as it is evidence by Florence Nightingal’s emphasis on observations of patient’s conditions (Maatta, 2006). One way in which nurses balance empathy and distance is by emotionally distancing themselves initially and engaging in mainly cognitive and physical interactions (Hayward and Tuckey, 2011). This allows nurses to control their own and other emotions by expressing an appropriate amount of losing themselves by not becoming too attached to the patient (Maatta, Herward and Tuckey, 2011.)

1.2 Problem Statement

Nurse-patient relationship is a fundamental aspect of patient care. A good nurse-patient relationship enhances care and wellbeing both at the level of the nurse and the patient, usually, unique and useful experience are necessary to create and maintain a good and adequate nurse patient relationship gained over time. Nevertheless, basic knowledge on the good nurse-patient relationship is necessary to be established. This study is therefore intended to assess the knowledge of nurses on nurse-patient relationship and identify the challenges the nurse face in establishing and maintaining a good nurse-patient relationship.

Also, my experience as a student nurse in the hospitals during my various placement did expose me to how nursing is practiced, which is contrary to what I was thought in school, which is the void of nurse-patients relationship, where the nurses attend to patients only when it time for medication or wound dressing, which ought not to be so. So this motivated me to investigate nurses’ knowledge and practices of nurse-patients relationship among nursing interns.

More so, some nurse have a poor manner of welcoming patients in the hospital which may led to poor income in the hospital and led to a drop down of patients coming to the hospital because if a patient is not well welcome in a hospital he/she will go out and spread how the nurses in the hospital have poor manner and are not welcoming.

More to that, some nurses intern do not respect patients privacy and confidentiality that is they disclose patients medical conditions among themselves and also insult the patients by telling them that “ no be me give you this sickness abeg yahh no just worry me for here”. Due to the poor manner of approach of some nurse intern, it will people to have a poor impression about the hospital (Maatta 2006).

1.3 objectives

1.3.1 General Objectives

Investigating nurses’ knowledge on the therapeutic nurse patient relationship

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

1. To assess nurse interns’ knowledge on therapeutic nurse patent relationship at the Limbe regional hospital.
2. To identify the strategies used by nurse interns for effective nurse-patients relationship in the Limbe regional hospital
3. To identify challenges faced by nurse interns to maintain good nurse-patient relationship

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