ESTABLISHING RAPPORT WITH THE PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT (DEVELOPING INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP)

REQUIREMENTS #

1. Chairs
2. Tables
3. Patient’s folder(Electronic/Manual)

STEPS #

1. Welcome patient and offer a comfortable seat
2. Sit near him/her and introduce yourself
3. Find out patient’s name and title, and use it when addressing him/her
4. Speak to patient using simple and clear language that patient understands
5. Establish eye contact with the patient during the interaction
6. Explain to patient what he/she could expect from you as a nurse
7. Encourage patient to talk and express his/her feelings and listen actively
8. Help patient to think through his/her problem in a logical manner using therapeutic communication techniques e.g. clarifying, paraphrasing, questioning, etc.
9. Show consistency in approaching the patient
10. Demonstrate firmness in dealing with inappropriate requests and behaviour by the patient if any
11. Maintain a relaxed attitude when interacting with him/her to show patient that you have time for him/her
12. Express appreciation to patient
13. Document the procedure in the nurses’ note/patient’s folder