Running head: IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 1

Importance of Bedside Manner

Brittany Garza
Waxahachie Global High










IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 2
Table of Contents
Title Page ........................................................................................................................................ 1
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Importance of Bedside
Manner..
4
References....8


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IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 3
Abstract
Going into a hospital or doctors office of any kind, one has certain expectations as to how they
ought to be treated. What happens when these expectations are not met? How is the recovery of
an individual affected, if it is affected at all? It is a proven fact that the care a patient receives is
completely proportional to their physical health when being cared for by a healthcare
professional of any kind. The way a patient is treated can produce either a negative or a positive
effect on their recovery. The gender, age, personalities, and overall attitude of the nurse are all
factors that are to be considered and relate to the care that is given. When in the health field, one
must know that these factors will have a direct impact on the patients in their care and that the
healthcare professional is responsible to the impact it leaves.
Keywords: gender, age, personalities, attitude, recovery












IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 4

Importance of Bedside Manner
Bedside manner of some sort is a necessity and is provided at any hospital or doctors
office at any given location. Whether this bedside manner lives up to standards is left to the
institutions responsibility. The bedside manner provided may be beneficial or harmful to the
patient, depending on several different factors. These factors can include the gender, age,
personalities, and attitudes of the nurse at hand.
Gender
There is always an everlasting debate as to whether females or males make better nurses.
While this argument is a strong one, the argument for each is unnecessary. There are 3,063,162
licensed registered nurses in the United States. Men make up a mere 9.6% of the total nursing
population, the rest being females. (Minority Nurse, 2009). In relation to this, a study published
in the March-April issue of The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine proved that
gender of the physician has no direct relation to mortality of patients. Meaning, no gender helped
the patient any more by being that certain gender.
Age
The age of a nurse is another thing to consider as to how it may affect the patient.
Younger nurses tend to have more energy and get better resting sleep than older ones. Younger
nurses adapt more easily to shift changes while older nurses may have difficulty which can result
in sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can lead to moodiness which can affect the way a nurse
interacts with their patients. (Breus, 2011)


IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 5
Personality and Attitude
Ones personality and attitude is a very important factor when dealing with the public
especially in the health care field. Everything one says or how they carry themselves has the
potential to have a lasting effect on the patient at hand. The various attitudes of a nurse that will
help in successful nursing practice are listed in this article. They are:
1. Respect for the rules and regulations of nursing profession: Each profession has its own
rules and regulations depending on the kind of work that is done. Similarly, nurses around the
world have a specific role to play and they have to respect these rules and follow them. This will
help them to be successful nursing practitioners.

2. Attitude of pride & desire to grow professionally: Every nurse should have a attitude of pride,
not for the self, but for the profession. This professional pride and desire will help them to climb
the ladder to success very quickly.

3. Cheerfulness optimism & desire to learn new skills: The nurse who wants to be successful
needs to be cheerful with optimism and desire to learn new skills. As the times keep changing,
there are new skills that are necessary to do the existing work. A nurse should be cheerful while
learning these skills. This will help to nurse to achieve more success.

4. I nterest in helping to solve the problems of others: A nurse should have the interest to help
solve the problems of the patients who are present. Each individual may have varied problems
and the nurse should have the capacity to try and help these people solve their problems.

IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 6
5. Respect for the opinion and judgment of others: Each nurse should respect the opinion of the
other health care workers. This will help the work to go on smoothly and the patients will benefit
from this. This will also help the nursing practice to improve.

The other important attitudes of a nurse that will help in successful nursing practice are

6. Motivation to search for new knowledge towards effective nursing care through various
research projects and literature reviews. This will improve the body of knowledge.

7. Respect for the dignity & rights of each person; colleagues or client, family& friends. This
attitude of a nurse will make her to become a better person.

8. Cooperativeness & respect for the members of the health team. This attitude of a nurse will
help the work to go on and the patient care to improve.

9. Acceptance & understanding of others from different racial & religious backgrounds. This
is a very important aspect and a nurse should have this attitude as in the present day scenario
where globalization is present, people from one country are able to travel to another very easily
and people from different religions and races can be admitted in a hospital. (David, 2009)
Frances Daniels, a former CNA at a retirement home said: A nurses attitude is
everything. It can make or break a patient. If a patient is constantly being mistreated, their will to
get better will be very low. (Daniels, 2014)

IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 7
Conclusions and Final Comparisons
Everyone has certain expectations when it comes to bedside manner at a hospital or
doctors office. When these expectations are not met with factors including gender, age,
personality, and attitude there is a negative impact on the patients recovery. Bedside many is
very important.


















IMPORTANCE OF BEDSIDE MANNER 8
References
Daniels, F. (2014, January). How Bedside Manner Affects Patients Positively or Negatively. (B.
Garza, Interviewer)
"Nursing Statistics." Minority Nurse. Web. 20 Jan. 2014..
Breus, M. Sleep Well. WebMD. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from
http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2011/04/the-night-shift-nurses-and-sleep-
deprivation.html





Reviewer: Veronica Martinez
Abstract Word Count: 151
Paper Word Count: 816