Engaging Patients and Keeping Them Safe

This chapter will demonstrate how you can address patient safety using the Fundamentals of Care Framework, introduced in Chapter 2. The framework emphasises the importance of establishing a positive relationship with the patient. As nurses, our first objective should be to do no harm. Therefore, we need to know the potential negative consequences of our actions and attempt to minimise these. Using the Fundamentals of Care Framework enables us to provide safe, holistic and continuous care. The World Health Organization (2011) considers engaging with patients and their families an essential element of patient safety. It is crucial that nurses understand the ways in which patients can be involved as partners in their health care. The requirements for engagement are: actively encouraging patients to share information; effective communication; and showing empathy, honesty and respect. These are all reflected in the Fundamentals of Care Framework. Importantly, all these requirements rely on the development of a positive relationship between the nurse and the patient.