How to Make Your Patients feel more Comfortable

How to Make Your Patients feel more Comfortable Treating patients with respect and understanding is essential to healthcare as a whole.

Being a nurse includes numerous rounds, check-ups, and consultations. But, what do patients have to deal with while being at the hospital? Most commonly, they are encountered with loneliness, discomfort, and sometimes even fear. With vast majority of them being sick or severely injured, it is completely understandable. Along with taking good care of them medically, your job as a nurse is to do everything in your power to make your patients feel at ease. Sometimes it can be hard to think to do these things when you’re so busy taking care of their ailments, so here are a few tips and guidelines in order to make your patients feel more comfortable.

1. Be polite Every hour, you see patients come and go. It’s a perfectly normal situation for you--You’ve seen and done this a thousand times, but many patients have not. Actually, for many of them, this is their first time in the hospital. For this and many other reasons, it is important to be polite to them. Show them respect and most importantly, explain everything until they fully understand.

This way, you’ll make them feel a lot calmer, and certainly more comfortable.

2. Treat patients with respect Your job is fast-paced and hectic to the point where you sometimes cannot distinguish patients from their needs. This happens to everyone, but sometimes you have to remember the little things. Remembering patients’ first names, family members, or even their likes and dislikes is a clear sign of respect for them. These small, seemingly insignificant details you perform for your patients can make a BIG difference. Not only does it feel good for your patients, but also for you too!

3. Empower patients Although they ended up in a hospital for whatever reason, and are vulnerable at the moment, many of your patients are still successful people despite their illnesses. And being in the hospital makes them forget that! But, you are there to remind them of their successes outside the hospital. They may not be used to being vulnerable and helpless, and by reminding them of

their strengths every now and then, you’ll significantly lift their spirits high. It goes without saying that they will be thankful! They could use a few kind words.

4. Communicate with them In these critical situations where you want to make patients comfortable, the most important aspect of good healthcare is communication. In order to be effective, patient education needs to be more than just instructions and information. As a nurse, you need to make sure to assess patient needs and communicate clearly. Of course, there may be some medical language patients wouldn’t be able to understand, but in explaining their state, medications, and certain procedures, there’s a high chance you’ll make your patients a lot more comfortable.

5. Have a healthy sense of humor Providing a friendly and positive atmosphere is the best possible way to make your patients feel more comfortable! Maintaining a good sense of humor is the best way to put a smile on your patients’ faces in these difficult times. Not only will they be excited to see you whenever you enter the room, but you will also feel much better. Your hectic day may be just that much easier.

It’s widely known that nursing job is extremely demanding. You have to be a skilled decision-maker and do a ton of work on a daily basis. Although you try your best, it is inevitable to feel tired and overworked sometimes. To be fair, patients sometimes don’t make it easy for you. But, putting that all aside, your main focus should be your patients’ comfort and satisfaction.

By following these aforementioned tips and doing small yet important things, you’ll be able to make your patients feel a lot more comfortable. It’s not much for you, but it means the world to them!

What are some little things you do each day to put your patients at ease?

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