The patient was admitted to the hospital with advanced-stage cancer. As the nurse was admitting her, ...

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True listening leads to knowing and responding to what really matters to a patient and family. Learning to listen to a patient is sometimes difficult. It is easy to become distracted by tasks at hand, colleagues shouting instructions, or other patients waiting to have their needs met. Caring is an interpersonal interaction that is much more than two persons simply talking back and forth. In a caring relationship a nurse establishes trust, opens lines of communication, and listens to what a patient has to say. Listening to the meaning of what a patient says creates a mutual relationship.