PI is a lifetime disease, so the patient is in frequent contact not only with physicians but also with nurses. An immunology nurse is a first contact person for every PID patient so it is very important to build and maintain relation between them based on mutual trust and honesty. Nurses have to answer many questions regarding life management or treatment options. They also must be able to react in crisis situations so it is important to equip them in a necessary psychological knowledge.
In 2019 Polish immunology nurses took part in one-day trainings on communication and building long-lasting relations with PID patients. It consisted of the following modules:
- Preferences of PID patients regarding treatment
- Effective communication with the patient - how to build an understanding?
- Workshop – patient-nurse conversation role-plays
After the course nurses filled out a survey regarding the discussed matters.
62,5% of participants stated that they definitely would like to continue such trainings in the area of patient-nurse relations. 37,5% declared “rather yes”.
Participants also listed such benefits:
- Psychological tips on coping with patients’ stress
- Opportunity to comment case studies
- Practical workshops
- Exchanges of experiences
It is important to create an opportunity for the nurses to participate in such workshops to improve their soft skills. As a result they will feel better, more self-confident and will increase their effectiveness. It is crucial as patients rely on them in many fields and spend much more time with them than the physicians do.