Nursing has always been one of the main occupations that contributed to societys further rise and development. Having appeared at the dawn of civilization as the first attempt to help people in need, this kind of activity moved along with humanity and passed through numerous stages of its evolution. At the moment, it is an independent and extremely important branch of science that is focused on the provision of care to patients to improve the quality of their lives and assist in recovery. Thus, the character of the work also presupposes the unique importance of ethical issues that might appear in the course of the interaction with patients. For this reason, a nurses ability to handle conflicts became one of the most important aspects of the occupation.
Historically, the approach to conflict resolution was different. The shift of priorities towards the humanistic values peculiar to the modern age preconditioned the introduction of the pattern that is focused on the satisfaction of patients needs. For this reason, in any conflict, a nurse holds a submissive position trying to respect a patient, his/her needs, demands, and unique peculiarities (Keft, de Brower, Francke, & Delnoij, 2014). However, the given approach is comparatively new, and a lot of other methods to handle conflicts were used. Yet, the main aim of a specialist has always been the same. He/she tried to eliminate the reasons for the appearance of any misunderstanding and help a patient to recover.
Besides, a nurse has always been a mediator in the relation between a patient and a therapist. Due to the unique peculiarities of their work, these specialists were closer to individuals and could establish more trustful relations by engaging them in everyday communication. For this reason, their role in the recovery process moved beyond the delivery of care to patients; however, they also became responsible for their moods and relations with the rest of the personnel (“Ethics and the healthcare professional,” 2012). Moreover, they were also presupposed to handle any ethical conflict that might appear in the course of the cooperation. This very function could be considered extremely important as it contributed to the improvement of the outcomes.
Being close to a patient, a nurse was able to obtain all the personal information needed to assist him/her in recovery. This very knowledge also preconditioned these specialists ability to handle conflicts between therapists and patients. For instance, every patient has his/her unique cultural peculiarities that should be taken into account when delivering care and organizing the environment in a certain way (Keft et al., 2014). A nurse could possess the information about these peculiarities and warn a therapist about the most appropriate method that could be used. Moreover, if there is a certain misunderstanding between a health worker and a nurse, the last one could serve as a third party and help these actors to make a compromise.
Altogether, a nurse has always been a mediator in the relations between a nurse and a therapist, guaranteeing that any conflict will be solved and a compromising solution will be found. Possessing unique knowledge about a persons peculiarities and preferences, this specialist can contribute to the improvement of the recovery process and enhanced final outcomes. For this reason, a nurse has always been a crucial part of the healthcare sector as he/she guaranteed that both a patient and a health worker would be able to cooperate in the most efficient way.
References
Ethics and the healthcare professional. (2012)
Keft, R., de Brower, B., Francke, A., & Delnoij, D. (2014). How nurses and their work environment affect patient experiences of the quality of care: a qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 14(249). doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-249