Health Assessment - Establishing and Maintaining Rapport

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT 1
Health Assessment Interview
Name
Institution

HEALTH ASSESSMENT 2
Health Assessment Interview
Introduction
A health assessment interview is important in making a diagnosis and developing a therapeutic
relationship between a practitioner and their client. A practitioner needs to build and maintain a
rapport with the client. A rapport can be described as a state of harmonious understanding
between people. This paper discusses the considerations for building and maintaining a rapport.
It will then talk about the techniques used to establish and maintain a rapport with a client. The
paper will finally talk about the effective questioning techniques required in a health assessment
interview.
Considerations for Establishing and Maintaining Rapport
A nurse needs to make a positive connection with their patient to improve patient experience
thus ensuring patient satisfaction. Practitioners need to consider some important factors before
they can start interviewing a patient because these factors form the basis for the considerations
for the establishment and maintenance of a rapport. One of the considerations is simplicity.
Simplicity is very important in health assessment interview because it ensures that messages are
clear and easy to understand (Burch, 2012). Simplicity in a language is therefore important in
establishing and maintaining rapport with the patient. Another consideration should be the
patient’s culture. The respect of one’s culture is essential in building a relationship with them
thus ensuring that a good rapport is established and maintained between the nurse and their
patient.
As a nurse, it is also essential to consider the physical environment of the interview setting
before a rapport can be established and maintained. According to O'Toole (2016), the physical

HEALTH ASSESSMENT 3
environment can include external factors that affect communication. These are the room setting,
dressing, physical appearance, body odor, furniture arrangement, and the possibility of
interruptions. The patient should be able to feel comfortable with their physical surrounding
before they can build a nurse-patient relationship. Personal abilities and quality should also be
considered before establishing and marinating a rapport with a client (Jarvis, 2011). These
include qualities such as good communication, respect of the patient, ability to empathize with
the patient, and the ability to listen to the client.
Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Rapport
It is important to build a trusting relationship with a patient as this makes care delivery easier in
healthcare. According to Mills (2020), a good rapport ensures that there exists a close and
harmonious relationship between a nurse and their patient. As a result, one can easily understand
the feelings of their patient and communicate effectively with them. This type of connection is
believed to improve patient care thus leading to better health outcomes. Several techniques are
available to help in establishing and maintain a rapport with a patient before a health assessment
interview.
One of the techniques is by maintaining eye contact with the patient. Studies reveal that maintain
eye contact passes a message that one is caring and compassionate. Additionally, it shows the
client that you have their interest at heart. Another technique is by making the interview personal
by making an effort to know and understand the patient and their condition or situation (Mills,
2020). This can be done by asking the patient questions about their friends, families, and hobbies
among others. The patient will get the impression that a nurse wants to understand them not only
as a patient but also as a person. Another technique is by expressing empathy. A nurse should be
able to empathize with their patient and share their feelings (Perry, Potter & Ostendorf, 2015).