5 Things Nurses Must Never Say To Patients

Rapport and a therapeutic relationship start with what comes out of your mouth. Honesty matters, but so does judgment about what you say and when. To keep a patient's trust, drop these five lines.

1. "Wait for a while. We’re still busy."

Patients and families feel a real urgency about their health, and brushing them off reads as neglect. Instead of telling them you are busy, give an estimated time for when they will be seen. A short apology and explanation eases the frustration far better than a dismissal.

2. "This won’t hurt at all."

False assurance destroys trust, especially with children. Tell a child an injection will not hurt and the next one becomes a battle. The same goes for adults, since plenty of procedures do hurt. Be honest. Tell the child to expect some pain but not too much, offer a distraction, and work quickly and safely. For adults, walking them through the steps helps them anticipate and handle the pain.

3. "Oh, no."

Patients watch you closely. An out of nowhere reaction during assessment, medication prep, or a procedure makes them doubt your competence. If an error happens, hold your reaction until the procedure is done, then explain what occurred, how you fixed it, and what to expect. Pair that with an incident report. You address the mistake without shredding their confidence in you.

4. "I completely understand, I went through the same thing."

You know a broken leg hurts and that a panic attack steals someone's breath. For the patient living it, your story is not what they need. Steer away from relating your own experience unless it is clearly warranted. They want your focus on treating them, not on you, and with patients you barely know, oversharing can read as crossing a line.

5. "I’m not sure."

First procedure or routine medication, walk in ready with an answer. Patients and families are curious and have every right to ask why you are doing what you are doing. Know the information before you enter the room. If the plan of care changed and you are not fully briefed, apologize and tell them you will be back once you have the right answer. Saying you are not sure signals incompetence and puts both your credibility and their safety at risk.