In a time when the political divide among various individuals and groups may be wider and deeper than ever before—what some might call a political chasm—one thing is clear: those of us involved in patient care must never allow politics to interfere with our ability to provide the best possible service.
As difficult as it can sometimes be to bite our tongues, doing so is paramount. Patients must feel safe from judgment; thus, the nurse must be an apolitical figure who rises above the divisions of the day and provides care that disregards it all. We must do so, and it could not be more critical to be reminded of this fact from time to time, especially when the political heat is high.
A Nonjudgmental Space
We can all agree that creating a nonjudgmental and safe clinical space is crucial for patients and their families.
When patients walk through our facility doors (or we enter their homes in the case of home health, for example), they must believe that the political, social, and other assorted beliefs of the professionals providing their care will not impact the quality of care they receive.
Just as we strive to provide the same care no matter a patient’s presenting race, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, culture, or nationality, we must do the same when it comes to politics. Every aspect of what makes a patient who they are is worthy of a concerted effort towards nonjudgment.
If a client is wearing a campaign button or hat representing a specific candidate or party, the care we provide should remain the same as if they were wearing a jersey or hat for a sports team we don’t support. This acceptance is crucial for building successful nurse-patient relationships.
The Fire of Belief
It is often said that all politics is personal, and the personal can indeed become political. In times of high polarization and political volatility, people’s passions and opinions can run high, with the flames of belief burning brightly.
No matter how brightly your personal beliefs might be burning at any given time, we healthcare providers must present a blank slate to our patients — a poker face, if you will.
When it comes to religion, we must be careful not to impose our beliefs on our patients and to ensure that our personal religious views do not influence our interactions with them. Similarly, we should avoid letting our political beliefs affect the nurse-patient relationship.
The Sacred Contract
When it comes to the intersection of nurses and patients, we must approach these relationships so that they are not colored, poisoned, or damaged by differing opinions that could otherwise serve as barriers to care.
Patients deserve to enter into a therapeutic space with the reasonable expectation that politics, religion, and other beliefs will not intrude on the provision of high-quality care. Just as they expect that a doctor or nurse practitioner will not prescribe a medication based solely on perks provided by a pharmaceutical sales rep, they should also expect that their provider’s political stance will in no way bias their clinical choices, their way of communicating, or the compassion they express.
The relationship between the patient and the healthcare professional is built upon mutual trust and an implicit agreement that the professional serves the patient’s needs. While the patient is greatly dependent on the medical professional’s training, education, skill, and expertise, they should be able to trust that other factors outside of those spheres of influence will not hold sway.
Regardless of what is happening in the outside world, we healthcare professionals must uphold the sanctity of our relationship with our patients. We must reflect our most profound compassion and care, demonstrate our commitment to serving them, and ensure that our focus remains solely on addressing the patient’s most pressing needs, even amid significant political turmoil outside the clinical environment. This is a sacred contract between healthcare professionals and their patients, and it should never be violated.
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