NRSG139 Integrating Practice Report: Rapport in Healthcare

This report delves into the critical role of rapport between healthcare professionals and patients in delivering effective healthcare services. It examines the factors influencing rapport, including the environment, cultural differences, and effective communication. The report highlights techniques such as maintaining eye contact, encouraging open communication, active listening, and therapeutic communication. It also provides a real-world encounter with an adult patient from the Aboriginal community, demonstrating the practical application of these techniques. The author emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity, effective questioning, and therapeutic communication in building trust and providing person-centered care. The conclusion reinforces that nurses should seriously consider practicing different techniques of creating and maintain rapport for the effective delivery of health care services.

Running head: INTEGRATING PRACTICE 1
Integrating Practice
Student’s Name:
Instructor’s Name:
Name of University:
Course Number:
Date of Submission:

INTEGRATING PRACTICE 2
Introduction
A rapport between health care professionals and patients is critical for effective
healthcare services. A rapport is the existing association between the healthcare provider and the
patient. A good rapport results in a harmonious relationship with patients and improves patient
care. This paper will critically provide evidence-based information on the factors to consider
when establishing and maintaining a rapport, the techniques, and effective therapeutic
techniques. Additionally, the paper provides my daily encounter with my adult patient and the
techniques I used to establish and maintain a good rapport.
Considerations for establishing and maintaining rapport
Several factors affect the rapport between nurses and patients. The surrounding
environment can affect effective communication and hence the rapport. For instance, the
physical appearance of nurses such as dress and odor can help create a rapport or be a hindrance
in itself. Nurses should be well-groomed and presentable to create a good first impression.
Additionally, the organization of the room such as furniture arrangement and general comfort are
critical in maintain rapport (O'Toole, 2020). To establish and maintain a rapport with my client, I
ensured that I was well-groomed and presentable and organized the furniture in the room even by
confirming the patient seat was comfortable.
Most importantly, cultural differences can be a hindrance to creating and maintain a
rapport if not carefully considered. Nurses must understand cultural variations so that they can be
accommodative of different cultures. The study by Reading and Greenwood (2018) on the
impact of Aboriginal Culture on treatment found out that the community closely associated their

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culture with general health and wellness. Moreover, any disregard for their culture was a
hindrance to treatment.
Since my client was from the Aboriginal Community, I first had to treat the patient as an
individual and found out her cultural preferences using the Nursing culture assessment tool
(NCAT). This included an assessment of behaviors, expectations, satisfaction among others
(Kennerly, Heggestad, Myers, & Yap, 2015). In adhering to the Aboriginal culture such as the
avoidance of touch between different genders, I was able to win the confidence and trust of my
client and thus offer effective treatment service and avoid resistance.
Techniques used to establish and maintain rapport
Effective communication is one of the most effective ways of creating a rapport with
patients. Maintaining eye contact while communicating with a patient is an indication of care and
compassion and it also shows that a nurse is interested and understands the patient’s situation.
Another effective communication skill is through encouraging open communication (Price-
Kuehne, 2018). A study by Lang (2012) found out that good communication was a significant
factor in enhancing patient outcomes and understanding the communication preferences of the
patient is important in establishing a rapport. This can as well be achieved by encouraging the
patient to share their feelings. Active listening has also been found to be an effective and non-
intrusive way of sharing the thoughts of the patient and creating a rapport (Perry, Potter, &
Ostendorf, 2013).
When dealing with my adult client, I tried to practice effective communication by
maintaining eye contact and social touch. As a result, the facial expression on the patient’s face
was an indication of joy and compassion. I also practiced active listening by listening to what the

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patient was saying, repeating what I heard and confirming with the client to ensure that my
understanding was right. I also leaned forward to show interest and encourage open
communication by assuring her of privacy and my desire to assist. The surrounding environment
can equally affect communication (O'Toole, 2020). To avoid such distractions, I ensured that I
was neatly dressed and in my uniform.
Effective questioning techniques
Therapeutic communication techniques are important to nurses because they enable
nurses to offer support and information to patients while maintaining their professional integrity.
Silence is one of a therapeutic communication technique that enables both parties to think
through the process and what to say next. It also provides an opportunity for the patient to air his
or her feelings and be involved in the process of decision making (Younis, Mabrouk, & Kamal,
2015). For example, I could just keep quiet completely and leave the patient to think across and
even break the silence after sharing very intimate information about her life.
Giving recognition to the patients is one of the effective ways of acknowledging the
behavior of a client and encouraging positive relations between the nurse and the patient. It is
also an indication that the nurse is concerned with the general life of the patient.
Another significant technique of therapeutic communication is focusing. It is often the
case that patients would talk about things not associated with their health care, but with this
technique, nurses can quickly appreciate the patient's point and continue with relevant healthcare
services (Ghiyasvandian, Abdolrahimi, Zakerimoghadam, & Ebadi, 2018). For instance, while
diagnosing my client, she would often want to chat about her extended family and their

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achievements. But I would quickly appreciate her for sharing such information with me and
direct the discussion to the relevant healthcare.
Conclusion
A rapport between nurses and patients is a significant preliminary stage that is an
important ineffective treatment. Several factors are important in creating and maintaining a
rapport. Effective communication techniques are some of the factors and have been reported to
be critical in offering person-centered care. Most importantly, it is the therapeutic
communication techniques which is a must for health professionals because they help prevent
several hindrances to effective healthcare service in a culturally diverse population. Nurses
should seriously consider practicing different techniques of creating and maintain rapport for the
effective delivery of health care services.

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References
Ghiyasvandian, S., Abdolrahimi, M., Zakerimoghadam, M., & Ebadi, A. (2018). Therapeutic
Communication of Iranian Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study. Pertanika Journal of
Social Sciences & Humanities, 26(3).
Kennerly, S., Heggestad, E. D., Myers, H., & Yap, T. L. (2015). Using the Nursing Culture
Assessment Tool (NCAT) in long-term care: An update on psychometrics and scoring
standardization. In Healthcare (Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 637-647). Multidisciplinary Digital
Publishing Institute.
Lang E. V. (2012). A Better Patient Experience Through Better Communication. Journal of
radiology nursing, 31(4), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jradnu.2012.08.001
O'Toole, G. (2020). Communication-EBook: Core Interpersonal Skills for Health Professionals
(3rd ed.). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Perry, A. G., Potter, P. A., & Ostendorf, W. (2013). Clinical nursing skills and techniques (8th
ed.). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Price-Kuehne, F. E. (2018). Establishing rapport: the GP without a smile. The British Journal of
General Practice, 68(675), 480.
Reading, C., & Greenwood, M. (2018). Structural determinants of Aboriginal peoples’
health. Determinants of Indigenous Peoples' Health: Beyond the Social, 1.
Younis, J. R., Mabrouk, S. M., & Kamal, F. F. (2015). Effect of the planned therapeutic

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communication program on therapeutic communication skills of pediatric nurses. Journal
of nursing Education and Practice, 5(8), 109.