Abstract

In this chapter the nature of the nurse patient relationship and its value in healthcare will be discussed. The reflective logs of student nurses will be presented in order to illustrate the impact of patientcentredness on practice outcomes. Psychological and sociological frameworks together with current healthcare research across a range of practice areas will also be used to further demonstrate this. We will see that the nurse patient relationship is an irreplaceable channel through which need can be individually assessed, and a package of care can be most effectively negotiated, delivered and evaluated. The meaning of partnership will be explored in a context of empowerment leading to arguments for patient leadership in care planning.