Survey finds 1 in 20 patients need more TLC

A recent patient survey from the CQC found some patients don't feel emotionally supported enough. Sarah Kean-Price details 3 simple ways you cn inject a bit more TLC into your practice.

Today, the Nursing Times reported on a recent survey from the Care Quality Commission. Following a survey of over 60,000 patients, around 15 per cent felt they needed more emotional support from the nursing staff.

Fortunately, only 3 per cent felt they were treated with the appropriate amount of respect and dignity more that this patient cohort felt they needed a bit more TLC than were being outright devalued.

It must be noted that this survey did find that both cleanliness and the relationship between staff and patients for having proved since last asking about it, which is great to hear!

However, one quarter of people surveyed said that doctors talked about them as if they weren't there - an easy trap to fall into when you're busy and one to avoid taking part in!

So, we here at Nurses.co.uk Towers don't think for one moment that any of you don't care about your patients. We're also confident that you do provide a great deal of emotional support; it's what nurses do!

But for those patients who are a bit more scared and a bit more confused than normal, here are three simple ways to inject extra nuggets of simple TLC into your everyday work.

Active listening

You'll likely have heard of this before in some context or other and it's pretty simple. To demonstrate active listening, you don't just say 'OK' or 'hmmm' or 'go on'.

You need to repeat back of the important parts of what your patient says to you. For instance, if the patient says,'I'm really worried about my treatment tomorrow. I couldn't sleep last night and it keeps going round and round my mind', they'll find it more comforting if you say something like 'You can't stop thinking about the operation? It's difficult to, isn't it?'.

Apologising

Now, we're not suggesting you take responsibility for every bad feeling or problem your patient perceives.

But using the word 'sorry' can help others feel that you care about them.

To return to the active listening example, perhaps you could say something like 'I'm sorry feel that way, frustration isn't good'. It shows that how they feel is important to you; more important than the bureaucracies of your job.

Be positive about others

Don't be afraid to show that you like other people. Even if you don't, pretend that you do.

If you talk positively about others and openly appreciate what others do, patients will find it much easier to appreciate who you are, what you do for them and be reassured that you like and care about them too.

Do you have any tips and tricks for keeping patients confident and emotionally secure? Let everyone else know on our Facebook page and share your strategies!