subject: Useful Nursing Tips To Deal With A Fearful Patient [print this page] Among the many professional jobs that provide good remuneration and a tough challenge, the nursing profession has a unique place. Not just because that it is immune to business cycles and provides good compensation, but because of the immense mental satisfaction one derives from this noble profession. As a nurse, whatever may be the hierarchy in which you are involved, you will have a definite role in impacting the life of a patient in a more positive way. The face of a cured patient and the gratitude-filled look of a new person will be an invaluable complement for a nurse.
The challenges in this profession are immense and the most important qualification one requires to do well in this profession is none other than dedication and helping nature. As a nurse, it is your primary responsibility to take adequate care of the patient, and carry out all such activities that might be required to transform that patient to a normal person.
The only similarity among the patients coming to the dispensary or hospital is that they are all patients. Apart from that, each patient needs individual attention and appropriate care.
How will you handle a patient who is frightened or who became a victim of fear?
It is quite natural that a patient, gripped with fear, will not co-operate for the treatment, and without treatment, the possibility of cure and well-being is not possible.
As a nurse, you should not get panic while treating a fearful patient. On the contrary, you should show a little extra compassion, concern as well as care for such a patient.
The first and foremost thing that you should do, as a nurse, should be to assess the activities of the patient engulfed in fear. You should find out the cause for fear in the minds of the patient. Fear that he or she will die, fear that he or she may not be a normal person once again, or even minor things of being injected with a big needle may also cause fear in the patient's mind. When such fear engulfs, the patient normally loses his or her control and might behave differently.
When you, as a nurse, see the patient frightened, the first thing you should ensure is that you should get panic. Approaching a fearful patient may not be advisable, as the patient, out of unknown fear, might react negatively and not co-operate for treatment. Take stock of the situation. Approach the patient with confidence and grit. Do not show any ill-feelings in front of the patient. Talk to him or her in a compassionate manner, with a soothing, calm and convincing voice that would instill confidence in him or her.
Try to find out the reason for his or her fear. Act confidently and decisively such that the patient believes you and your words. More than the medication and other treatment, compassionate love and soothing words will go a long way in helping the patient regain confidence and the feeling of fear slowly fades away.
Analyze the circumstances or the surroundings that caused the sense of fear in the patient's mind and his or her subsequent activity. Try to move the patient from the atmosphere, talk to him or her in a calm manner and understand the cause for fear in his or her mind.
