Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Developing therapeutic relationships with people living with HIV: exploring the nurse-patient relationship
Michelle Croston1, Christopher Wibberley2, Kirsten Jack3
1Associate Professor of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham.
Background:
The care paradigm for HIV has changed from one of an infectious, life-limiting disease to that of a chronic manageable condition. This shift poses challenges for practitioners working in this area when providing care that is both person centred and reflective of the demands placed on an evolving disease area.
Objectives:
The overall aim of this study was to explore how therapeutic relationships are developed and their subsequent use within person-centred care.
Design:
An interpretative phenomenological analysis research design was used to collect data from 10 purposively recruited HIV specialist nurses in the north-west region of the UK. In-depth, semistructured interviews were used to collect the data.
Results:
Data analysis revealed three themes that captured person-centredness in HIV care. These were: ways of being; the nurse-patient relationship; and the influence of stigma.
Conclusion:
The research illuminates key features that are important when developing therapeutic relationships and offers a framework to explain how these features were also key elements of person-centred care.
Related Concept Videos
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Nurses' Legal Responsibilities II
Communication between nurses and...
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...
Ethical Standards II
Nurses are entrusted with upholding various ethical principles and standards. Nurses forge solid therapeutic relationships using trust, empathy, autonomy, confidentiality, and professional competence.
Confidentiality is crucial, embodying respect for individual privacy...

