To respect a client’s personal space and territoriality, the nurse:
A. Avoids the use of touch.
B. Explains nursing care and procedures.
C. Keeps the curtains pulled around the client’s bed.
D. Stands 8 feet away from the bed, if possible.
Correct Answer: B. Explains nursing care and procedures
The respect of territory and personal space represents an ethical and respectful approach to patients, which can permit them to maintain their dignity even under vulnerable conditions, favoring their recovery, as most studies have highlighted. The patients reported that requesting permission to manipulate their body, to examine them, or to perform other care/procedures shows consideration and attention on the part of the professional, which makes the patient feel valued and in control of the situation. This approach may minimize the effects of the invasion and the feeling of being seen as an object.
Option A: The greater perception of territorial invasion is probably due to the fact that patients are somehow prepared for personal invasion in the hospital as they are aware that the approximation by unknown people to perform procedures and to touch their body is part of the treatment. However, territorial invasion is less tolerated since the instinctive drive is stronger, directing the control to personal possessions.
Option C: Touching the patient’s possessions without permission, changing the bedside table to a position that cannot be reached, and raising or lowering the window blinds without consulting the patient are attitudes of the nursing staff that cause much discomfort. Healthcare providers need to be more attentive to the patient’s space and respect the territoriality established by them, often with their personal objects and possessions.
Option D: In the hospital setting, most procedures and interventions are performed at this distance, the intimate zone, often without due affectivity and permission. Within this context of the cultural and personal use of space, healthcare providers need to know and respect the limits of the physical distance that should be maintained in different situations of interaction with the patient so that both feel comfortable.