Nurse–Patient Power Relationship

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The healthcare sector has experienced several challenges in its bid to provide quality services with particular emphasis ion nurses. In this article, the author emphasizes the concept of interpersonal relationships that exist between the patient (health client) and the care giver in regard to the excesses of care: a matter of understanding the asymmetry of power. The author asserts that there has been a significant incongruence on how the nurses practice ethical standards while delivering services to the patients due to misunderstanding and misuse of power vested in them. The issue of closeness and distance features prominently in the article and the absolute power of nurses to dictate the management of patients reign. In essence, the author brings in the issue of communication skills and interpersonal relationships that exist between nurses and patients. According to Delmar (2012), there are circumstances in which the nurses stick to professionalism by focusing much on prescription of medicine and supervision of recovery with less regard to the social aspect of the patient’s condition.

A research study undertaken by the author of this article involved a sample population from nurses and patients and their ideas and past experiences on this debate was asked (Delmar, 2012). The response is commendable in terms of the near accuracy of the data and consistency with daily experiences in a healthcare facility setting under the care of nurses. The study stresses the ethical demand on nurses to create a friendly and closer relationship with the patients so that the social factors contributing to their state of health may be taken into consideration by the caregivers. Limited rights of patients to express their discontent and confide to the nurses indicate a sense of burden on the side of the patients. This is explored by the author of this article as retrogressive to the recovery path of the patients. Delmar (2012) asserts that skewed power favors nurses which make them control the entire life of the patient with total disregard to emotional needs and social inadequacies.

Critical assessment of this article gives an insight into the significance of a healthy relationship between patients and nurses in the healthcare sector. In respect of the article under question, it can be seen that the powers given to the nurses should be used in the interest of the patients. The cardinal role of nurses is to promote quick recovery of the patients. However, this cannot be achieved by supervising their adherence to prescription schedule. Some level of informal relationship is required for the patient to have a room in expressing personal life that may help the nurse in managing them. Provided this interpersonal relationship is regulated by the spirit of professionalism; it creates a healthy room for faster recovery progress. The nurses need to learn on how to communicate effectively taking into consideration the social factors influencing the health status of the patient (Delmar, 2012). If distance and closeness can be balanced, the patients are able to feel free and confide on the nurses regarding their private life which may be related to their conditions. This would help in offering emotional therapy besides medical prescription and facilitate the rate of recovery progress. It is imperative that the nurses go beyond the limits of necessary roles and navigate the social factors connected to each patient like age, sex, background among others in an effort to boost the quality of care offered to them. This article is essential for better nursing practices in reference to use of the power given to nurse as they assist patients with their recovery.

Reference

Delmar, C. (2012). The Excesses of Care: A Matter of Understanding the Asymmetry of Power. Nursing Philosophy, Vol. 13. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp. 236–243.