Guthrie immediately called in Jenny and the physician who was going to perform the test. Together, they determined an immediate plan of care that proved to be effective. The next day, the patient told his family that he felt like he turned a corner, thanks to the time his nurse and the physician spent with him. He also decries health care as becoming mechanistic and depersonalized on many levels. When I started in the '70s, doctors used to take complete histories and do full-body assessments, in which they touched their patients.
Nurses are the only ones who humanize the experience.
Our relationships with patients help people get through the most difficult times of their lives. Susan Trossman, RN, is the senior reporter for The American Nurse.