The nurse is also the person best placed to offer the patient initial support and encouragement. Non-adherence is a very serious mat ter, which may lead to serious or fatal complications. It is therefore imperative that signs of non-adherence are reported to the doctor overseeing the patient, to be investigated by the whole team.
Trust Trust plays a pivotal role in both the clinical management and the nursing care of a patient, and should be carefully fostered. A patient with a severe Hb disorder must feel secure in the relationship with the nurse, whether they are communicating face-to-face in a clinical environment or over the phone from home. During adolescence, trust is still more important in the development of healthy social and psychological behaviour. A sense of trust that the nurse is sincerely trying to help motivates a patient to do what is best for his or her health, in terms both of adhering to treatment and developing selfmanagement skills. Information The exchange of information between the medical team and the patient is a key part of building trust. It is critical to ensure that the doctor-nurse team follows an agreed protocol, so as not to contradict or disagree with each other on any aspect(s) of medical care. A major role of the nurse is to complement the doctor in sharing information with the
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