Human-To-Human Relationship Model By: Joyce Travel bee

“A nurse does not only seek to alleviate physical pain or render physical care – she ministers to the whole person. The existence of
suffering, whether physical, mental or spiritual is the proper concern of the nurse.”
Background of Theorist
Joyce Travelbee was born in 1926 and is known for her work as a nursing theorist. In 1956, Travelbee earned her Bachelor of
Science in Nursing degree from Louisiana State University. She was given a Master of Science in Nursing degree in 1959 from Yale
University. Her career dealt predominantly with psychiatric nursing and education. She worked as a psychiatric nursing instructor at the
DePaul Hospital Affiliate School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and worked later in the Charity Hospital School of Nursing in Louisiana State
University, New York University, and the University of Mississippi.

Joyce Travelbee (1926-1973) developed the Human-to-Human Relationship Model presented in her book Interpersonal Aspects of Nursing
(1966, 1971). She dealt with the interpersonal aspects of nursing. She explains “human-to-human relationship is the means through which
the purpose of nursing if fulfilled.” As nurses, we have the responsibility towards our patients. This responsibility does not only focus on
the physical defects, difficulties or illness they experience but as well as their total being whether it may be emotionally, psychologically and
spiritually. In being able to provide quality health care to our patients, we must be able to have a good interaction and working relationship
with them. We must be able to gain their trust, respect and establish rapport as well. As care providers, we must be able to assess the person
as a whole not just by mainly focusing in each problem that they verbalize, share or complain.
Basic Concepts
Suffering - "An experience that varies in intensity, duration and depth ... a feeling of unease, ranging from mild, transient mental, physical
or mental discomfort to extreme pain and extreme tortured ..."
Meaning - Meaning is the reason as oneself attributes.
Nursing - Helps man to find meaning in the experience of illness and suffering. Has a responsibility to help individuals and their families to
find meaning. The nurses' spiritual and ethical choices, and perceptions of illness and suffering, It is crucial to helping to find meaning.
Hope - Nurse's job is to help the patient to maintain hope and avoid hopelessness. Hope is a faith that can and will be change that would
bring something better with it. Hope's core lies in a fundamental trust the outside world, and a belief that others will help someone when
you need it.
Communications - "A strict necessity for good nursing care."
Using himself therapeutic - “One is able to use itself therapeutic. “Self-awareness and self-understanding, understanding of human
behavior, the ability to predict one's own and others' behavior are important in this process.
Targeted intellectual approach - Nurse must have a systematic intellectual approach to the patient's situation.
Interactional phases
1. Original Encounter - This is described as the first impression by the nurse of the sick person and vice-versa. The nurse and patient see
each other in stereotyped or traditional roles.
2. Emerging Identities - 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.
3. Empathy - Travelbee proposed that two qualities that enhance the empathy process are similarities of experience and the desire to
understand another person. This phase is described as the ability to share in the person’s experience. The result of the emphatic process is
the ability to expect the behavior of the individual whom he or she empathized.
4. Sympathy - 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.
5. 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.”
Metaparadigm
Person - Person is defined as a human being. Both the nurse and the patient are human beings.
Health - Health is 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 discernible disease, disability of defect as measured by physical examination, laboratory tests and
assessment by spiritual director or psychological counselor.
Environment - Environment is not clearly defined. She defined human conditions and life experiences encountered by all men as
sufferings, hope, pain and illness.
Nursing - "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.”
Assumptions
1. Establishing, maintaining and terminating a one-to-one relationship are activities which fall within the province of nursing practice.
2. A relationship is established only when each participant perceives athe other as a unique human being.
Strictly speaking, a nurse and a patient cannot establish a relationship. It is only when the roles of nurse and patient are transcended, and
each perceives the other as a unique human being, that relationship is possible.
3. Only qualified psychiatric nurses are prepared to supervise nurses in the practice of psychiatric nursing.
4. The major learning experience provided in the psychiatric nursing course in to provide students with the opportunity to establish
maintain and terminate one-to-one relationships.
5. Nurses need to know how to use library facilities and how to search the literature for needed information.
It may seem somewhat simplistic and self-evident to state that nurses need to know how to use library facilities and how to search the
literature for needed information and data. It cannot be assumed, however, that nurses or faculty members know how to use library
resources to find reference materials.6. The knowledge, understanding and abilities needed to plan, structure, give and evaluate care during
the one-to-one relationship are necessary prerequisites for developing competency in group work.
Conclusion
The theory of Joyce Travelbee indeed has a very great contribution not only to those who are in the Psychiatric Nursing field but in the
whole nursing practice. Not only should we be able to assist them towards wellness but also to be able to find meaning in the situation or
experiences they had been through whether it may be good or bad. This theory does not only focus on the patient but as well as with the
nurse practitioner, both having a unique personality.