Health Assessment Report: Techniques for Building Rapport in Nursing

This report delves into the critical aspects of health assessment, emphasizing the significance of establishing and maintaining a strong rapport between nurses and patients. It outlines the essential considerations, such as patient privacy, cultural competence, and language barriers, that influence the nurse-patient relationship. The report details various techniques for building rapport, including self-introduction, understanding the patient's daily activities, active listening, and respectful communication. Furthermore, it explores therapeutic communication techniques, such as open-ended questions and active listening, which facilitate effective patient-nurse interactions and improve patient outcomes. The conclusion underscores the importance of a well-established rapport and effective communication, supported by therapeutic techniques, for accurate clinical diagnoses and enhanced patient care. The report provides a comprehensive overview of how healthcare professionals can improve patient care through effective communication and patient engagement.

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT 1
Health Assessment
Name
Institution

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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.

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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

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themselves. Being respectful is another important technique. It involves asking the patient how
they would love to be addressed thus making them feel valued (O'Toole, 2016). The use of non-
verbal communication cues such as eye contact, facial expressions, and body language is also
crucial in establishing and maintaining a rapport with a patient.
Effective Questioning Techniques
Therapeutic communication is important in nursing because it allows a patient to share their
feelings and emotions with the nurse thus improving their physical and emotional well-being.
Through therapeutic communication, a nurse can provide support and the necessary clinical
information to their patient thus improving health outcomes. I used therapeutic communication
techniques during my interview with the patient and some of those techniques are discussed
below.
The first technique is the use of open-ended questions. Studies have revealed that asking open-
ended questions helps in getting the patient to talk more thus revealing more information. I used
this technique to encourage the patient to talk more about their feeling and beliefs and not just to
reply with yes or no answers (Potter et al., 2016). This technique is also important when a nurse
wants the patient to talk more about their activities of daily living such as sleeping, eating,
exercising, working, and maintaining the environment among others. Another important
therapeutic communication technique that I used was active listening. According to Townsend &
Morgan (2017), this technique is very important in nursing assessment because it ensures that a
nurse listens, processes, and comprehends the information coming out of the patient’s mouth to
come up with an informed clinical decision. I also encouraged the patient to verbalize his
feelings so that he does not get overwhelmed. A therapeutic patient-nurse relationship must be

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built on trust respect and honesty. After gaining the trust of the patient then it becomes easier for
them to communicate their feelings.
Conclusion
Health assessment is important in the clinical diagnosis of patient conditions. Before an
assessment of the patient can be conducted, a nurse should aim to establish and maintain a
rapport with their patient. In rapport building, a nurse should consider factors such as language,
cultural competency, and physical appearance because they can affect a patient-nurse
relationship. A nurse must also apply several techniques that enhance establishing and
maintaining a rapport because building a good relationship with a patient is important in care
delivery and affects patient outcomes. Effective health assessment also relies on effective
communication that is supported by therapeutic communication techniques.

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References
Allinson, M., & Chaar, B. (2016). How to build and maintain trust with patients. Retrieved 19
March 2020, from https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/eye-care/how-to-build-and-
maintain-trust-with-patients/20201862.article?firstPass=false
Jarvis, C. (2019). Physical Examination and Health Assessment E-Book. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Lang, E. V. (2012). A better patient experience through better communication. Journal of
radiology nursing, 31(4), 114-119.
O'Toole, G. (2016). Communication-eBook: Core Interpersonal Skills for Health Professionals.
Elsevier Health Sciences.
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P., & Hall, A. (2016). Fundamentals of Nursing-E-Book.
Elsevier health sciences.
Townsend, M. C., & Morgan, K. I. (2017). Psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care
in evidence-based practice. FA Davis.