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Relating EEG changes and I--thou feelings during nursing interview
1Yamanashi Medical University, Japan.
Summary
This study explored nurse-patient connection using electroencephalograms (EEGs) and heart rate (HR). Nurse
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Nursing
Background:
- Understanding the nurse-patient relationship is crucial for effective healthcare.
- Subjective experiences during therapeutic interactions are difficult to quantify objectively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between a nurse's subjective experience of 'oneness' with a patient and their physiological responses.
- To explore the potential of using physiological measures, specifically electroencephalograms (EEGs), to study deep interpersonal processes in nursing.
Main Methods:
- Recorded electroencephalograms (EEGs) for a nurse during client-centered interviews.
- Simultaneously recorded EEGs for the patient in some sessions.
- Measured heart rate (HR) for both nurse and patient separately.
- The nurse reviewed interview recordings, focusing on feelings of 'oneness' with the patient.
Main Results:
- Frequent occurrences of alpha waves in the nurse's EEGs coincided with reported feelings of 'oneness' (I-thou relation).
- Alpha waves were rarely observed in patient EEGs but occasionally synchronized with the nurse's.
- The nurse exhibited more stable heart rate (HR) compared to the patient during sessions.
Conclusions:
- Physiological monitoring, particularly EEGs, can offer insights into the profound interpersonal dynamics during nurse-patient interactions.
- The study highlights a potential link between specific EEG patterns (alpha waves) and the nurse's subjective experience of deep connection.
- Further research using physiological approaches may enhance our understanding of therapeutic relationships.