Health Assessment Interview Report: Communication and Rapport Building

This report focuses on the critical role of health assessment interviews in gathering patient information and improving healthcare outcomes. It explores the importance of establishing rapport between healthcare professionals and patients, emphasizing the need for positive and therapeutic relationships. The report delves into factors influencing rapport-building, including communication strategies tailored to individual patient needs, backgrounds, and values. It discusses essential communication techniques for maintaining rapport, such as active listening, empathy, and non-verbal cues. Furthermore, the report highlights effective questioning techniques, including open-ended questions, avoiding jargon, and providing clear information. The conclusion underscores the significance of these techniques in fostering trust, encouraging open communication, and ultimately, enhancing the quality of patient care. References from relevant sources are provided to support the discussion.

Running head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW 1
Health Assessment Interview
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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

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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).

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Language is also essential in rapport building. Healthcare providers should also use
the local language that the patient understands as a strategy of maintaining rapport. They
should also demonstrate knowledge of the patents’ cultural attributes in their interview and
competence in maintaining respect and dignity (Al Ali & Elzubair, 2016). Using the same
language as the patient helps to create trust and frankness.
Effective Questioning Techniques
Qualities such as flexibility, open-mindedness, reassurance and support, friendliness,
genuineness, warmth, sincerity, and respect are important communication techniques that I
practiced while questioning the patient. Other attributes included being sensitive, empathetic
and encouraging support. The questioning process was free of jargon or technical language. I
also avoided passing judgment, and using an authoritarian demeanor. Active listening was
also an important strategy using verbal cues such as mm, yah, and right, and non-verbal cues
such as leaning forward, nodding and eye contact are also important communication
techniques in the process of questioning. I used the cues at the start of the interview or during
the interview. Attentiveness of the interviewer shows that he or she is interested in what the
respondent is saying and encourages them to be genuine with information. Eye contact plays
a critical role in trust building as it demonstrates sincerity. Maintaining eye contact with a
person shows power, competence and attentiveness (binti Zakaria & bin Musta’amal, 2014).
I ensured that I asked relevant questions, one at a time. I also provided all the
necessary information that the patient required regarding the health assessment and allowed
her to ask for clarifications. I willingly paraphrased the messages from the patient through
restating, to ensure confirm that I was listening. I ensured that I only focused on key issues
about the health assessment. At the end of the interview, I summarized the points drawn from
the conversation (Sherko et al. 2013). The techniques ensured that I maintained a therapeutic
bond with the patient throughout the interview process.

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Conclusion
The health assessment interview is an important strategy for obtaining information
form the patient regarding their health, perceptions of illness, goals and expectation regarding
healthcare. Building rapport is important for obtaining meaningful information. The
considerations needed while establishing rapport include the patent’s values, beliefs,
background, culture and demographics. The nurse should also consider the suitable
communication strategies for establishing and maintaining rapport. Rapport building ensures
effective communication techniques in the interview process such as verbal and non-verbal
communication, effective listening, seeking clarification, and remaining focused throughout
the interview.

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References
Al Ali, A. A., & Elzubair, A. G. (2016). Establishing rapport: Physicians' practice and
attendees' satisfaction at a Primary Health Care Center, Dammam, Saudi Arabia,
2013. Journal of family & community medicine, 23(1), 12–17. doi:10.4103/2230-
8229.172224
binti Zakaria, R., & bin Musta’amal, A. H. (2014). Rapport Building in Qualitative Research.
Retrieved from
http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/61304/1/AedeHatibMustaamal2014_RapportBuildingi
nQualitativeResearch.pdf
Hashim, M. J. (2017). Patient-centered communication: basic skills. American family
physician, 95(1), 29-34.
Lang E. V. (2012). A Better Patient Experience through Better Communication. Journal of
radiology nursing, 31(4), 114–119. doi:10.1016/j.jradnu.2012.08.001
Sherko, E., Sotiri, E., & Lika, E. (2013). Therapeutic communication. JAHR, 4(1), 457-466.