7 Ways Nurses Help Reduce Hospital Patients’ Stress

Understanding the stress that causes and is caused by hospitalization is a difficult task. This article will cover many of the ways nurses help reduce stress in patients, bringing peace of mind to both the patient and doctor.

Hospitalization is a stressful experience for every patient and family member. The hospital itself can be overwhelming, with equipment and unfamiliar spaces. Nurses are often the first face patients see in the hospital, easing them into an environment that may not seem friendly or welcoming to them.

Why Managing Stress Is Important

The Institute of Medicine has stated that health professionals and hospitals should address stress in patients if for no other reason to increase the quality of care provided. Stress reduction is especially important during hospitalization when patients are ill and vulnerable.

Nurses can significantly reduce the stresses felt by a patient through their interactions, the environment they provide, and their techniques to decrease anxiety. 

While it may seem impossible to eliminate all hospital stresses, nurses can truly make a difference in the feelings of patients while they are hospitalized.

Learning About Stress While Training to Become a Nurse

Hospitalization and the associated stress are unavoidable. 

Many nurses have been through this type of experience before, making it easier to empathize with patients in a similar situation. 

Nurses may remember their own feelings of hospitalization or may have observed other family members going through the same emotions as a patient without adequate interference from medical staff. 

Either way, nurses are able to relate to and understand why patients feel anxious when hospitalized. Once they can identify the reasons for stress, they can do something about it.

During their studies, nurses learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress in patients. Nurses taking a post master’s NP certificate are taught to ask questions, listen, and give encouragement. They learn how to respond properly to patients’ feelings and emotions in the hope of relieving stress as much as possible while providing competent care.

Even after training is over, nurses are expected to remain current on new developments that may affect their careers and the way they interact with patients. This includes learning about stress in the hospital setting.

Hospitalization is different for each patient, making it difficult for a nurse to know exactly what they’re going through until they experience it firsthand or observe someone who has been through the same process.

Methods of Stress Relief

There are many ways to manage stress and anxiety, but for most patients, these will need to be applied during hospitalization. 

Nurses often utilize many non-medical methods to help relieve stress in their patients. Here are a few options open to them:

Pain Relief

Many patients are experiencing pain due to hospitalization, making it a source of stress and discomfort. Nurses can approach it in a variety of ways, helping to alleviate the pain and make their patients more comfortable.

Non-medical options include switching the patient’s position if the pain is centered in their abdomen or perhaps moving them to another room if there is nausea or vomiting.

Communication

This is a key element of giving excellent care, but it can also be a source of stress for patients. 

Nurses can help patients communicate any concerns they may have, from their pain to their fears of dying while in hospital. Nurses understand that there are serious reasons behind these fears.

Using their excellent communication skills, nurses can help patients relax and trust their medical team, so they can do their best.

Nurses know that simple reassurance and small talk can make a big difference in how patients feel during the hospitalization process. 

Psychological Workup of Stress in Patients

A psychological assessment is a crucial component to making a diagnosis of stress in hospitalized patients. 

Nurses are often the first to notice when something is wrong with a patient’s mental health and, as such, must be able to respond appropriately. 

Psychological assessments can help identify a patient’s emotional needs, such as feelings of loneliness and loneliness during hospitalization. 

This information can be helpful to nurses when making plans for the patient and their family, but it can also be used to ease the stress of the entire hospital care experience. 

Using these resources will make it easier for patients to trust their medical staff, especially given the consequences they may face if they do not feel confident in their care.

Comfort Measures

While it can be tempting to want to offer comfort to a patient, there are better ways of doing so. 

When nurses learn how patients respond to comfort measures, they can make better decisions about whether or not it is appropriate. 

Some patients may experience anxiety or nervousness during hospitalization, making them especially sensitive to touch. Others may be in too much pain for any physical contact. 

The best practice for comfort measures is offering reassurance, small talk, and smiles when possible.

Relaxation Therapy

Stress plays an important role in our ability to recover from illness. 

The National Institute of Mental Health states that symptoms of stress can include fatigue, insomnia, and aches and pains. 

When patients are stressed, they do not function at their best, causing them to only operate at a partial capacity during hospitalization. 

Good communication between doctors and nurses can help relieve stress caused by hospital treatment, which can increase the chance of the patient’s recovery or survival.

Deep Breathing Therapy 

Deep breathing therapy is another method that can help relieve stress in hospital patients. 

It is a simple and effective way to slow down breathing, reducing patients’ anxiety and nervousness. 

Nurses can teach this technique to their patients, especially in high-stress situations where they need the help the most. 

Meditation Therapy

Nurses have a lot of ways to provide mental health care for their patients, but meditation is an excellent method that can help patients relax during hospitalization.

Meditation has been shown to be beneficial to health and well-being in many different ways. 

It has been proven to improve overall mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms. 

Anxiety, which is common among hospital patients, is often relieved by meditation due to its ability to make people feel calmer and more confident.

The best thing about meditation is that it can be applied at any time and in any place, making it easy for patients to do. 

This can be especially helpful for patients who are experiencing pain, nausea, or a lack of energy. 

Training Options for Professional Nurses

Highly Sensitive Person Training for Nurses or Medical Staff

There are many different programs available for people interested in learning more about what it means to have highly sensitive person (HSP) traits. 

This knowledge can help medical professionals better understand the needs of their patients and how to provide them with the care they deserve.

Stress is a major contributor to the issues we face in modern society. A stressful job will cause many medical professionals to experience burnout, leading to issues such as depression and anxiety. 

This is why it is important for nurses to learn how to manage stress in their patients so they can help prevent these problems at work. 

Job stressors can include high workloads, long hours, and little free time.

Listening Skills Training

Nurses are constantly listening to the needs of their patients, making their ability to communicate important in providing excellent care. 

Listening is a skill that can be learned with practice, but it can be difficult for new or busy nurses to develop. 

This is why it’s important for nurses to practice listening skills as often as they can with friends, family, and colleagues. 

Listening carefully and responding mindfully will lead to better patient care and relationship building between doctors and nurses.

Provider-Patient Relationships Training

Patients need a strong connection with their provider in order to feel comfortable enough with them to open up about their health issues and stressors. 

Nurses can build these relationships by learning to be understanding and empathetic. 

Making patients feel heard is an extremely important part of the nursing profession, something that nurses can accomplish through a willingness to listen, ask questions, and remember details. 

It’s important for nurses to connect with their patients on a personal level and understand what they are going through. This will help them to better identify when something is wrong with their patient’s mental health. 

Information About Stress Relief for Hospital Patients

Hospitalization is a taxing situation for any patient and can cause acute stress and anxiety if the patient is not prepared. 

Non-medical methods are crucial to relieving stress, as they will help patients trust their medical staff while they are in hospital care. 

Nurses can use many tools and resources to alleviate the negative side effects of being hospitalized.

Conclusion

Sometimes there is a lot to learn, but as long as you keep learning these skills, you will improve your ability to be a great nursing assistant.

A nursing assistant can do many things, and these are just some of the skills they should know and practice on a daily basis.

Being a nurse is a wonderful job. As a nurse, you can never stop learning. Keep reading, try out new ideas, and see what works best for both you and your patients.