Health Assessment Interview | Essay

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT 1
Health Assessment
Name
Institution

HEALTH ASSESSMENT 2
Health Assessment
Introduction
A health assessment interview involves the identification of a patient’s specific needs by
evaluating their health status and performing a physical exam to establish the underlying
condition. Before performing an interview, it is important for a nurse to establish and maintain a
rapport with their patient. A rapport can be defined as a harmonious relationship understanding
where all parties involved understand each other’s feelings. This paper will talk about the
considerations of building a rapport, techniques used to build and maintain a rapport, and
therapeutic communication techniques used in interviewing patients.
Considerations for Establishing and Maintaining a Rapport
Before starting the health assessment interview, I had to consider several factors that could help
me in building and maintaining a rapport with my patient. One of the factors that I considered
was the privacy and confidentiality of the patient and patient information. Confidentiality and
privacy are very important factors in nursing assessment because they help in building trust and
confidence between a nurse and their patient (Allinson & Chaar, 2016). A nurse should assure
their patient that any information discussed during the assessment interview will be kept
confidential and never discussed with anyone else unless necessary. I additionally considered my
cultural competency before the interview. Cultural competence in nursing is believed to be a
very vital tool in helping a nurse to build a rapport with their patient. A culturally competent
nurse can create positive clinical changes and provide care to patients of all cultures (O'Toole,
2016). As a result, patient satisfaction is improved thus leading to better health outcomes.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT 3
Language is another important consideration in establishing and maintaining a rapport with a
patient. A language barrier can negatively impact health assessment thus leading to inadequate
knowledge of patient information (Jarvis, 2019). A nurse must, therefore, identify the best and
most appropriate language for a health assessment interview. I also considered the physical
environment of the interview setting. These include the physical appearance, arrangement of
furniture in the room, body odor, the physical setting of the room, and dressing among others.
Techniques Used to Build and Maintain a Rapport
A patient-nurse relationship built on trust and understanding is very important in healthcare
because it improves care delivery. This type of relationship is created when the nurse establishes
and maintains a rapport with their patient during the initial stages of a health assessment.
Healthcare is a consumer market and therefore patient satisfaction is very important. Good
communication, especially during the initial stages of interaction, is thus vital in ensuring that
patient satisfaction is achieved (Lang, 2012). This is why establishing and maintaining rapport is
important. Several techniques are used in building and establishing a rapport and they are
discussed below.
The first thing to do before beginning a health assessment is by introducing oneself. I introduced
myself to the patient and made them feel comfortable. After an introduction, it is vital to know
the patient at a personal level. Here I used Roper Tierney Logan Model to ask the patient their
activities of daily living. Reports have indicated that asking a patient about their interests,
hobbies, and activities of daily living can help in creating a positive relationship (Potter, Perry,
Stockert & Hall, 2016). Another technique that can help in establishing and maintaining a
rapport with a patient is through active listening. Patients feel better when they know that they
are being listened to and they open up and talk more thus revealing more information about