原著

Original Article

岩﨑, 弥生

Hiromi, KOMIYA

イワサキ, ヤヨイ

Yayoi, IWASAKI

nurse-patient relationship

participant observation

The purpose of this study was to identify nurses' interactions with patients in psychiatric acute care and gain insight into the implications for nurses for the betterment of nurses' therapeutic relationships with acutely ill psychiatric patients. Six nurses and 12 patients gave informed consent to participate in the study. Data were collected through participant observation for 8 months in an acute psychiatric ward of a public hospital. A qualitative inductive approach was used to analyze 131 sets of nurse-patient interactions. Nine categories were identified : 1)leveling with the patient to share common understanding of the “real" world; 2)being open to the patient's humor and sharing laughter together; 3)listening and responding with empathy; 4)showing sincere concern for the patient and his/her well-being; 5)responding to the patient's hope for the care in an acute ward; 6)pointing out patient' ‘problems' while avoiding confrontation; 7)trying to understand the patient's history of illness and treatment; 8)maintaining a caring attitude to provide information on treatment and tips leading to recovery; and, 9)engaging in routine care without taking notice of the patient's complaints. The serious condition of the acutely ill patient requires a caring and empathic approach to the nurse-patient relationship. This study indicated just how important it is for nurses to appreciate their patient's ability to maintain humor during a crisis.