The right bedside manner can enhance a travel nurse's ability to comfort a patient. There's evidence that people respond well to physicians, nurses and other medical professionals who demonstrate good bedside manner. According to the National Institute for Health, authors of a meta-analysis, determined that the outcomes for patients with chronic illnesses such as hypertension are generally slightly better when the doctor is positive and reassuring. For nurses, who typically spend even more time with patients, the effects may be even greater.
The U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) found that only 13 percent of American adults fully understand the healthcare information presented to them. This can greatly increase a patient's stress level. A travel nurse aware of these details may wish to consider evaluating and working to always improve her bedside manner.
Here are a few tips a travel RN could integrate to improve bedside manner:
1. Smile at patients. Smiling presents a more positive image, calms people in stressful situations and can make a nurse feel happier herself. It is a contagious form of expression and can improve a patient's entire hospital visit.
2. Treat patients like family. A travel nurse may sometimes forget that her millionth broken arm or cardiovascular test is the first for a patient who is often scared and in pain. While it may be hard in the middle of such an intensive schedule, a nurse should take the time to reassure her patients both young and old.
3. Be direct. According to Nurse Together, saying a patient's name and making eye contact with them when they are in the room is an important step that can often be forgotten. For such a simple thing, it has a grand impact on how the patient feels they are being treated during the entire experience.
Steps such as these make all the difference to the patient. No one likes feeling like a number, especially when they are ill. A travel nurse that incorporates these tips in her daily routine can improve a patient's regard.