The Importance of Bedside Manner in Nursing by Craig Elliott
The Importance of Bedside Manner in Nursing by Craig
Elliott
The quality of the care you provide to your patients is important for
them in so many ways. Of course you need to maintain a certain level of
professionalism with patients, visitors, and the medical professionals
you work with. But overlooking the importance of bedside manner in
nursing reduces the quality of the care that you have taken an oath to
provide to the patients under your care.
Doctors are often more focused on the conditions and symptoms that
patients are suffering from and finding the appropriate course of
treatment for those symptoms and conditions. Due to this situation,
their genuine concern for patents is not always conveyed. This can
result in patients not feeling as if they can or should discuss symptoms
they are experiencing, possible questions they have, and the fears they
are keeping to themselves with the doctor. Many people feel more
comfortable sharing this information with a nurse who has a friendly
bedside manner. Therefore it is vital that you remember the importance
of having a good, friendly bedside manner. You may often be the only
bridge between the doctors getting the information needed to treat the
patient better, and a patient understanding that not fully disclosing
these things can seriously affect the outcome of their treatment.
For patients suffering from serious illnesses or injuries, the level of
bedside manner provided by the nursing professionals caring for them,
often takes on a greater significance. Your beside manner is integral to
the recovery process of your patients. Think about it from the
standpoint of the patient. Coping with an illness or injury and the
treatment they must undergo for recovery is a time filled with fear and
stress. They may also be dealing with symptoms such as pain, shock,
confusion, nausea, light headedness, stiffness, lessened or complete
loss of mobility, and sleep and appetite changes. The level of fear and
stress is often heightened when a patient is hospitalized for treatment.
The unfamiliar settings of a hospital can be very distressing to
patients who are stressed because they are sick, injured, or having
surgery.
Treatments can be uncomfortable or even painful. Patients may perceive
their conditions to be worse than they are and their prognosis dismal,
and may keep these feelings to themselves. Patients can easily become
overwhelmed by the fear and stress they are feeling and not hear or
understand what the doctor is telling them about their condition, the
recommended treatment, and the risks involved. This will increase a
patient's level of fear and stress which can worsen their condition and
make it harder to treat them successfully. Family and friends may also
increase a patient's level of fear and stress. They are themselves
confused and scared because their loved one is ill or injured. Without
meaning to, they may transfer their fears, confusion, and stress onto
the patient whose body is already struggling under the weight of a
medical condition. In these situations, the importance of bedside manner
in nursing cannot be overstated. Displaying a calm, friendly demeanor to
patients and their families can reassure them and reduce their fears and
stress.
Some people don't have family or friends who can visit them while they
are in the hospital. This can lead to a patient feeling lonely, sad, and
isolated or cut off from the people and surroundings they know and their
normal lives. This can cause appetitive and sleep difficulties and even
reduce the effectiveness of pain medications for the patient feeling as
if they are all alone. Taking the time to talk to patients and asking
them questions helps them to feel that they are not alone. This also
conveys to them that you care not just about doing your job to the best
of your ability: but also about them. Knowing that someone cares can
very often help further the recovery process even when present
treatments do not seem to be working, or working fast enough.
But even when the condition is a terminal illness or disease such as
Cancer and the prognosis is not a positive one, bedside manner is
important for helping those patients to be as comfortable and at peace
as possible. Your bedside manner will also mean a great deal to the
family members who must come to grips with seeing a loved one so
seriously ill and knowing the end is drawing near. This is probably the
hardest part of nursing. But there is nothing nobler than ensuring that
a person is given dignity, comfort, respect, and compassionate care as
they transition away from this life.
Your bedside manner is important to the patients you care for in so many
ways as a nursing professional. Never underestimate the power of a good
bedside manner. Take steps so you do not forsake the oath you have taken
to provide quality care to your patients. Remember the importance of
bedside manner in nursing.
About the Author
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning
the nursing profession such as Nursing Uniforms
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