Nursing may be considered a therapeutic activity since it affects people both physically and psychologically. Ersser (2019) assumes that “symbolic images of nursing may depict it as a therapeutic act through representation as healing” (p. 28). The point of this idea is that thanks to nurses, patients receive not only medical services but also communication and care. This may have a positive effect on their psychological state and even contribute to a faster recovery. However, not all nurses have a caring and cautious attitude to patients. Therefore, the required therapeutic effect is not always achieved.
Nurses have many roles, such as helping, training and educating, monitoring patients’ condition, and organizing some services and events. However, in addition to this, they are responsible for providing patients with an atmosphere of comfort, verbal and physical communication, emotional and psychological support, and a pleasant and calm environment (Ersser, 2019). Only with this integrated approach patients can feel protected and safe. The mental state of people has a significant impact on their health. This means that a caring attitude and the right atmosphere will help them bear the disease more efficiently and recover as quickly as possible.
A significant aspect of medical practice is the vulnerability of patients. It consists of two elements: related to an individual and the whole population (De Chesnay & Anderson, 2016). Vulnerability is caused by the fact that people are susceptible to problems in physical, psychological, and social spheres. This can significantly affect the health of the whole world, as the number of such people increases. Also, De Chesnay and Anderson (2016) state that “anyone can also be vulnerable at any given point in time as a result of life circumstances or response to illness or events” (p. 4). Therefore, nurses need to be aware of the level of vulnerability of patients and understand its possible consequences.
Vulnerability is manifested in many situations, even when people come to the hospital and interact there. It also affects those who work with complex and dangerous equipment or often get in some stressful situations. Other causes of vulnerability are, for instance, bad habits and lifestyle (De Chesnay & Anderson, 2016). All these factors must be remembered to clearly understand what to expect from patients. These features may vary in each region and each hospital, but usually, general trends can be identified simply. Also, when communicating with patients, nurses should understand what can affect the process of their illness and recovery.
According to statistics, there are several main groups of people who are more susceptible to various diseases and health problems than others (De Chesnay & Anderson, 2016). These are people with chronic illnesses, mental disabilities, alcohol abusers, members of abusive families, homeless people, and refugees, among others (De Chesnay & Anderson, 2016). This suggests that nurse practitioners should pay more attention to studying potential problems in working with these groups of people. Being prepared for various critical situations in advance, they can tackle them much more successfully.
Nurses must always remember that their work involves constant interaction with people. Zaccagnini and Pechacek (2018) note that in traditional medical practice, people are considered as sets of symptoms. However, nurses have an opportunity to see their personalities during communication. Many factors can affect a disease: genetic characteristics, living conditions, work, and region of residence,. These factors influence not only patients but also the process of their interaction with nurses. Two people with the same disease but from different social environments can behave differently, and nurses need to adapt to this.
When working with any patient, nurses need to remember their professional roles. Zaccagnini and Pechacek (2018) state that nurses stay together with patients all the time and help them in achieving all their goals related to their health. In this case, nurses have to rely on clear principles that help them in their work and support them. Medical staff sometimes works to their detriment, devoting themselves entirely to work and patients. However, in the long run, this approach may be destructive.
A crucial quality for nurses is compassion. It allows them to understand each patient better and makes them feel care. Hewison and Sawbridge (2016) note that “it would seem to be self-evident that if patients are to be cared for with compassion, there need to be enough staff to provide it” (p. 5). However, hospitals do not always have the opportunity to hire enough people for proper care. Nevertheless, any nurse should try to understand patients’ feelings and help them.
One of the difficulties of this approach is that this attitude to work can be exhausting. Too much emotional input can quickly cause burnout, and nurses will no longer like their job and work well. Hewison and Sawbridge (2016) assert that often front-line employees do too much work and it affects them negatively. Thus, each nurse should be aware of their capabilities in this area. It must be remembered that both excessive and insufficient efforts in work usually lead to negative consequences, and sometimes even critical.
Despite the difficulties caused by constant interaction with people, the treatment process can be made productive and inspiring. Hewison and Sawbridge (2016) state that an essential task for healthcare workers is to “develop a culture which supports and develops our front-line clinical colleagues to deliver safe, high-quality, effective care with compassion” (p. 12). With the help of this approach, compassion will be established between employees of medical institutions as well, which will have a beneficial effect on the emotional atmosphere.
Family health care nursing now plays a vital role for nurses since many modern families find it necessary to communicate with only one reliable person. De Maeseneer (2017) states that nurses involved in family health care are guided by a complex approach to working with families and considering them as a whole. This approach gives nurses greater responsibility as they deal with several different people. However, the level of trust and understanding in such relationships is also much higher. When a family communicates with one nurse, this person almost becomes a part of this family.
As part of family health care, illnesses are considered as factors that affect the family as a whole. If one of the parents is sick, then it is likely that his or her partner and children will fall ill as well. In addition, many diseases are genetically determined and are transmitted from parents to children. Understanding these processes in each family helps nurses optimize the process of working with families and find a personal approach to each of them (De Maeseneer, 2017). Considering the family as a whole, a nurse practitioner can penetrate deeper into the essence of diseases and provide better treatment.
References
De Chesnay, M., & Anderson, B. A. (2016). Caring for the vulnerable: Perspectives in nursing theory, practice and research. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
De Maeseneer, J. (2017). Family medicine and primary care: At the crossroads of societal change. LannooCampus Publishers.
Ersser, S. J. (2019). Nursing as a therapeutic activity: An ethnography. Routledge.
Hewison, A., & Sawbridge, Y. (2016). Copmassion in nursing: Theory, evidence and practice. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Zaccagnini, M., & Pechacek, J. M. (2018). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning.