Connectedness in the Nurse-Patient Relationship

There are times when something extraordinary happens §between a patient and nurse. It feels different. §It s just special. An experienced nurse conducted §a grounded-theory study to explore just what happens §in this relationship, and the discoveries are §remarkable. This special bond, named connectedness, §occurs when the needs of the spirit are met by a §spiritually competent nurse. It takes place in a §setting of openness and trust in which there is a §nurse-patient exchange and spiritual guidance by the §nurse, all bounded by meaningfulness. The results are§an impact on one s life, healing, strength, and/or §growth. This study was a journey of meaningfulness §for both the researcher and many of the study §participants who shared their stories. The resulting §model, fully described, is a paradigm for §understanding an aspect of spirituality in nursing §practice. The rich stories and vibrant detail will §reach out to anyone who experiences or wants to §experience meaningful relationships. There are times when something extraordinary happens §between a patient and nurse. It feels different. §It s just special. An experienced nurse conducted §a grounded-theory study to explore just what happens §in this relationship, and the discoveries are §remarkable. This special bond, named connectedness, §occurs when the needs of the spirit are met by a §spiritually competent nurse. It takes place in a §setting of openness and trust in which there is a §nurse-patient exchange and spiritual guidance by the §nurse, all bounded by meaningfulness. The results are§an impact on one s life, healing, strength, and/or §growth. This study was a journey of meaningfulness §for both the researcher and many of the study §participants who shared their stories. The resulting §model, fully described, is a paradigm for §understanding an aspect of spirituality in nursing §practice. The rich stories and vibrant detail will §reach out to anyone who experiences or wants to §experience meaningful relationships.