Travelbee’s Theory: Human-to-Human Relationship Model - its suitability for palliative nursing care

Abstract

Background: Travelbee's theoretical model has significantly influenced the palliative care movement. According to Travelbee, the Human-to-Human Relationship is the means through which the purpose of nursing is fulfilled. Thus, nurses are challenged to implement a more reflective practice based on compassion and sympathy. Objective: To describe Travelbee's Human-to-Human Relationship Model and provide an adequate conceptual framework for palliative nursing care. Main topics under analysis: To frame Travelbee's theory. To describe the suitability of the theory for palliative care. To reflect on Travelbee's view of nursing. To analyze its relevance in the nursing context. Conclusion: Travelbee's Human-to-Human Relationship Model is in line with the philosophy of palliative care, being an interpersonal process in which nurses intervene in the suffering process but also in its prevention.

Death and dying of newborns and children: relationships between nursing and family according to Travelbee

“…From the perspective of the work process in the face of death and dying, the hope that the professional must produce in the other, as a form of intervention, must be enlightening and realistic, ensuring the constant presence of the team alongside the patient and their family (9) .…”

“…Considering that the nursing theory adopted in this study characterizes sympathy as the act of giving a part of oneself to the other and, in doing so, becoming vulnerable, the nursing professional may experience a denial in an attempt to protect and hide feelings as a way to prepare for when the experience of death arises (9) .…”

“…to the need to understand patients and their families, in order to alleviate their suffering, promoting hope even at the end of life (9) . It is noteworthy that, in the relationships between nurse and family, there may be a therapeutic use of the self, that is, what nurses do to help the other can be a bridge that helps them to go through a difficult time and find new meanings in the experience (10) .…”

“…This theory was developed around the relationships between two people, in which one provides assistance to the other, due to their own state of illness or the conditions imposed by the illness of another (8) . This theoretical model guides the nurse and subject/family interaction, aiming to teach the professional to explore the meaning of disease and suffering, with an emphasis on supporting the other to discover new meanings in the midst of pain (8)(9)(10) .…”

The Meaning of the Empathetic Nurse–Patient Communication: A Qualitative Study

“…Peplau emphasizes empathetic relationships with patients at all stages of nurse–patient communication (16). In the theory of human-to-human relationships, Travelbee states that the empathic nurse can understand another person's distress, identify its source, and predict the behavior that will result from it (17). Paterson and Zderad's emphasized that the experience of the nurse–patient relationship is interactive and empathetic (18).…”