Changing Role of Nurses: From Task-Oriented to Relation Oriented Care

In these recent years, the nurses’ role has been transformed from just simply giving prescribed medicines to becoming nurse researchers and forming cordial relations with patients. Nurses play vital role in promoting public health. In early days, nurses were meant to provide medications on time to the concerned patients but now, the scenario has changed.

Thus, this blog will discuss about changing roles and responsibilities of nursing, and will hopefully give nursing additional recognition and respect from those individuals who may think that nurses simply follow doctor’s orders, give medicines or wipe butts.

It has been found that maintaining personal relationships with patients has become an important part of caregiving. Wilson and Davies state that three types of relationships can be developed:

·         Individualized and task-centered which focuses only on completing tasks pragmatically.

·         Patient-centered takes the needs of the care receiver into account

·         Relationship-centered type takes into account the needs of both the care receiver and other involved parties, such as family and the rest of the community.

The other aspect of relation-oriented care is dignity that focuses on “little things” in life , includes treating care recievers with respect and making patients feel “at home”.

Thus, it can be said that health care professionals considered relational components of care to be more important for dignified care than physical caring tasks.

Benefits of relation oriented care:-

The major benefit of pursuing task oriented care is that it brings more positive feelings as compared to task-oriented care. It is said that if caregivers understand their patients' requirements emotions, they will also be able to better match the care they provide to  their patients.

Obstacles in relation oriented care:-

Bad image among caregivers, high workload, and a lack of developmental opportunities are three major obstacles that can prevent the development of relation-oriented relationships in health care.

The skills required by caregivers in order to perform their job effectively:-

• Communication: Listening skills, providing feedback, discussing choices, discussing complaints, and building relationships in daily care.
• Attentiveness: Being open to clients' worries, picking up signals, and addressing emotions.
• Negotiation: Taking into account interests of those involved, facilitating conversations between those involved, making decisions after consideration, and solving conflicts.
• Flexibility: Observe and adjust to the needs of clients, and creative problem solving.
• Teamwork: Working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, taking responsibility as a team member, daring to ask questions, supporting colleagues, complementing other colleagues' qualities.
• Expertise: Specific knowledge regarding health, palliative care, dementia, ethics, IT, use of medicine, etc.
• Coaching and leadership: Coaching colleagues, taking the initiative to exercise influence.

Thus, the role of nurses has shifted from a task-oriented approach to a relation-oriented approach, and brings new set of obstacles, needs, and competences that needs to be addressed for a smooth transition.

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