Therapeutically conducive relationships between nurses and patients: an important component of quality nursing care

The relationship between nurses and patients was identified as an important component of quality nursing care in two grounded theory studies carried out concurrently in Perth, Western Australia. Interviews with 22 nurses and 23 patients provided the primary sources of data. Analysis was performed using the constant comparative method. Comparison of the findings of these two studies focussed on aspects of the nurse-patient relationship and revealed additional information concerning the establishment of relationships, the association with quality nursing care, as well as factors influencing relationship development. This research demonstrated that the overriding contextual condition needed for relationship development was the availability of adequate time.