Ann J. Brady, MSN, RN-BC, CHPN

“That’s not what I said.” Nurses need to be attentive to the signs of how a patient understands what they are told.

As a nurse, what do you do when you have no things you can do to help your patient? Ann Brady reflects on a patient who just needed her to stand there and do nothing.

What is the best way to deal with a pushy caregiver who does not agree with a decision made by other family members?

We care for patients by helping fix what is bothering them. But is denial really a problem that needs fixing?

I knew Sam’s joking was not a sign of joy or happiness but his way of coping, maybe the only way he knew how.

As a patient reveals a difficult past and a wished-for possibility, her nurse ponders the struggle to find the right words to say in a delicate situation.

The patient appeared to deny the inevitable course of his disease, and the nurse could only wait for him to reach his point of acceptance.

Nurses anticipate a patient’s need for pain meds. But understanding why a patient has no need for them may be difficult.

The patient’s understanding that surgery was the best next step in her treatment was on her own terms. The nurse needed to understand that.

Interpersonal relations are comparable to navigating computer software. A change in approach may produce the desired results.