Health Assessment Interview Assignment

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW 1
Health Assessment Interview
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HEALTH ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW 2
Health Assessment Interview
Establishing rapport with the patient is an important component in the encounter
between patients and healthcare professionals. Nursing professionals are able to make
informed clinical decisions regarding patient treatments after developing positive and
therapeutic relationships with the patients. Building rapport ensures that the healthcare
professionals obtain pertinent information that is used to improve patient outcomes. The
focus of this paper is to explain the process of creating rapport with patients during a health
assessment interview. The topics include the factors to consider when attempting to create
rapport, communications techniques to maintain rapport and effective questioning techniques.
Considerations for Establishing and Maintaining Rapport
The factors to consider in attempting to establish rapport include the appropriate
communication strategies that suit the age, background, socioeconomic status, religion, and
race is essential for respecting the personal space. Nurses need therapeutic communication
skills that are delicate to understand the patient better (Sherko, Sotiri, & Lika, 2013). The
nurses should also consider strategies for maintaining privacy and confidentiality of patient
information. The nurses should also reveal to the patients how they intend to use the
information to encourage the patients to express themselves freely. The nurse must also have
the necessary skills to distinguish the needs and intentions of the patient (Sherko et al. 2013).
Assuring the patient about information privacy and confidentiality promotes trust and
willingness of the patient to share information.
While trying the establish rapport, it is important to consider the patent’s values,
psychosocial context and perspective of illness. Patient-centered discussions focus on
decisions and discussions characterized by information-sharing, compassion and provision of
empowering care. The nurse should consider the goals, values and expectations of the patient,
the clinical condition, emotional state, health literacy and complexity of the healthcare

HEALTH ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW 3
decisions while building rapport. Understanding patients’ values and beliefs enables
healthcare providers to demonstrate empathy I the appropriate way. Empathy is demonstrated
through verbal and nonverbal gestures such as touching the patient and respectful silence
(Hashim 2017). Nurses must plan to establish patient-centered relationships, while avoiding
judgement and discrimination to promote information sharing.
Communication Techniques Used to Establish and Maintain Rapport
There are various important strategies for establishing and maintaining rapport with
an adult client during a health assessment. Establishing and maintain rapport may take time,
but is an important step in reducing the fear and tension that the patient may have regarding
the interaction with healthcare providers. Interpersonal communication skills, which include
verbal and non-verbal communication are essential in establishing confidence, respect,
frankness, empathy, compassion, and thoroughness, which are essential for rapport building.
Healthcare providers should approach patients by introducing themselves, calling the patients
by their preferred name, showing empathy, maintaining a welcoming posture and making eye
contact (Al Ali & Elzubair, 2016).
Synchronizing one’s communication behavior with the client’s behavior helps to
create a bond with the patient. Lang (2012) explained that rapport occurs when people feel
that they have something in common such as likes, dress and appearance. The easiest way to
establish rapport with patients is matching their preferences, disposition and demeanor. For
instance, in the case of an adult’s client who is complaining loudly, it is appropriate to raise
one’s voice for a few seconds and leading the patient to a moderate communication. In some
situations, creating rapport requires the healthcare professional to move away from the norm,
which entails remaining calm and soft-spoken. For example, maintaining calmness around an
irate person may cause further irritation (Lang 2012).