Joyce Travelbee Theory

Human to human relationship

The Human to Human Relationship Model of Nursing deals with the interpersonal aspects of
nursing, focusing especially on mental health.

 Why is it important to form meaningful relationship with patients?

Deep and meaningful relationships play a vital role in overall well-being. Past research has
shown that individuals with supportive and rewarding relationships have better mental health,
higher levels of subjective well-being and lower rates of morbidity and mortality.

Effective physician-patient communication has been shown to positively influence health

outcomes by increasing patient satisfaction, leading to greater patient understanding of health
problems and treatments available, contributing to better adherence to treatment plans, and
providing support and reassurance to .

 What is the connection of the theory to the nursing field? / Main focuses

She believed that everything that the nurse said or did with an ill person/patent helped to fulfill the
purpose of the nurses. Since, the they are both human and relate to each other and this process called
interaction.

 Main purpose of the theory ?

Nursing can be accomplished through human-to-human relationship. In that way they begin with
originally encounter and then under progress through the stages of emerging identies, developing
feeling of empath to the patients and also feelings of empathy.

 What is the human-to-human relationship model?

Is an interpersonal or having a relationship or communication between people whereby the nurses

assist a patient/family to prevent or they might cope with experience or illness.

Assumptions
She defined nursing as “an interpersonal process whereby the professional nurse
practitioner assists an individual, family or community to prevent or cope with experience
or illness and suffering, and if necessary, to find meaning in these experiences”.

She was Inspired by being a psychiatric nurse, she struggles for a “Humanistic Revolution”
in nursing, with devotion on caring and compassion for patients.

She expressed that achieving the goal of nursing necessitates a genuine human-to-human
relationship, which can only be established by an interaction process, this process is
further divided into five phases. 

The 5 interactional phases of Travelbee’s model are in consecutive order and

developmentally achieved by the nurse and the patient as their relationship with each
other goes deeper and more therapeutic or like more on relatating to healing of disease
of the patient.

Phase of the Original Encounter:

 Emotional knowledge colors impressions and perceptions of both nurse and patient
during initial encounters. The task is “to break the bond of categorization in order to
perceive the human being in the patient” and vice versa.
Understand or be
  conscious of the

- Dito parang its ur first meeting with the patient and so in that way the patient would
have a first impression the nurse and as well the nurse would have a impression sa
patient. This is were the relationship of human to human theory begins.

Patients are the same human beings as us and families; only, that they need other human
beings specifically nurses and doctors for maintaining health.

Health, which, Travelbee defines in two categories: subjective and objective. Subjective
health is an individually defined state of well-being in accord with self-appraisal of physical-
emotional-spiritual status. Objective health is an absence of discernable disease, disability
of defect as measured by physical examination, laboratory tests and assessment by
spiritual director or psychological counselor.
Phase of Emerging Identities: 

 Tasks in the second phase (visibility of personal or emerging identities) include

separating oneself and one’s experiences from others AND recognizing the differing
qualities that each possess, transcending roles by separating self and experiences
from one another – not using oneself to judge others.

The nurse nor the patient is not to stereotype the other as having a particular vexatious
characteristic as this is not facilitative to building a relationship.

This phase is described by the nurse and patient perceiving each other as unique
individuals. At this time, the link of relationship begins to form.

- Dito parang, These phase where the relationships really begin. So, in this phase the
nurses and the patient perceives or understandeach other’s uniquesnes. Or like
sinasabi na dito kayo nag didiscover ang isa’t isa.

Phase of Sympathy

 Sharing, feeling and experiencing what others are feeling and experiencing is accomplished. This
phase demonstrates emotional involvement and discredits objectivity as dehumanizing.

The task of the nurse is to translate sympathy into helpful nursing actions. Sympathy
happens when the nurse wants to lessen the cause of the patient’s suffering. It goes
beyond empathy. “When one sympathizes, one is involved but not incapacitated by the
involvement.” The nurse should use a disciplined intellectual approach together with
therapeutic use of self to make helpful nursing actions.

- So after the stage of emerging identities, you would develop the feelings of empathy. This
feeling of empathy this where both nurses and patients shares their experiences. So, after
developing the feeling of empathy papasok dito si Sympathy. Feelings of sympathy this where
the nurse want to lessen the cause of the patients suffering.
 it seems relevant to clarify that empathy is the forerunner of sympathy. As an emotion comprehension of
another person, it is important and desirable because it helps nurses to predict that person’s behavior and
to perceive accurately his thinking and feeling.

Sympathy, on the other hand, implies a desire, almost an urge, to assist the patient in order to relieve
his/her distress

Phase of Rapport:

 Rapport is described as nursing interventions that lessens the patient’s suffering. The nurse and
the sick person are relating as human being to human being. The sick person shows trust and
confidence in the nurse. 

“A nurse is able to establish rapport because she possesses the necessary knowledge and
skills required to assist ill persons, and because she is able to perceive, respond to, and
appreciate the uniqueness of the ill human being.”

Rapport is essentially the catalyst which transforms a series of nurse-patient interactions into a
meaningful nurse-patient relationship, a concern for others and an active and genuine interest in them.

- So, the phase of rapport. Dito close na kayo ng patient nyo, not literally meaning na kumara but
the patient here hast the trust to the nurse. Howvere rapprt doesn’t “just happen in one day”; it
must build day by day ba a nurse through interaction with patients and it will change as a chanes
occurance in the interpersonal situation. Dito na papasok yung closeness nyo sa patients. So
both of you understand each other.

Good rapport creates a close and harmonious relationship with patients. It allows you to
understand your patient's feelings and communicate well with them. The importance of rapport
can't be stressed enough in nursing. It connects you to your patients and can improve patient
care.

When the therapeutic relationship ends, the nurse should assist the patient to assess progress
and plan the next stage of recovery.