The Lived Experience of the Trusting Nurse-Patient Relationship Among Patients Admitted to Internal Medicine Wards.
Silvia Loua Henriksen, Signe Eekholm, Ingrid Poulsen and 1 others
PMID 41178808WHAT IT FOUND
Patients described trust growing from feeling safe, then from nurses noticing them, listening, staying briefly, and offering small comforts.
Nurses' authenticity mattered more than time spent. Hurried or task-only care undermined trust.
Key findings
01Patients described trust as unfolding gradually rather than automatically or linearly.
02Patients pointed to small, attentive nursing actions, such as introducing themselves, staying to talk, and combining practical care with personal engagement.
03Patients valued authenticity and sincerity, perceiving trust when nurses seemed genuinely interested.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 14 patients from one Danish university hospital department, so it may not reflect other settings or patient groups. Four of 18 invited patients declined, and patients with communication difficulties or acute critical illness were excluded. Patients were not asked to distinguish registered nurses from licensed practical nurses, so role-specific differences in trust were not explored. Interviews happened while patients were hospitalised and potentially vulnerable, which may have shaped what they could say. The first author had prior nursing experience and was a PhD student, so reflexivity was needed to manage personal influence on interpretation. As a qualitative study, it describes patients' perceptions and does not test whether specific behaviours improve clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that specific nurse behaviours cause better clinical outcomes. It describes 14 patients' perceptions of trust in one Danish hospital department, not a tested intervention.