reply to this discussion post please. The study of distance zones between people during communication is known as proxemics.
“People from the United States, Canada, and many Eastern European nations generally observe four distance zones:
•Intimate zone (0–18 in between people): This amount of space is comfortable for parents with young children, people who mutually desire personal contact, or people whispering. Invasion of this intimate zone by anyone else is threatening and produces anxiety.
•Personal zone (18–36 in): This distance is comfortable between family and friends who are talking.
•Social zone (4–12 ft): This distance is acceptable for communication in social, work, and business settings.
•Public zone (12–25 ft): This is an acceptable distance between a speaker and an audience, small groups, and other informal functions (Hall, 1963).” (Videbeck, S. L. 2019).
Some cultures such as Asian, Mediterranean, East Indian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern are comfortable standing less than 4-12 feet from each other. However, other cultures such as European American or African American may feel uncomfortable when someone stands within their personal zone (18-36 inches).
“The therapeutic communication interaction is most comfortable when the nurse and client are 3 to 6 ft apart. If a client invades the nurse’s intimate space (0–18 in), the nurse should set limits gradually, depending on how often the client has invaded the nurse’s space and the safety of the situation.” (Videbeck, S. L. 2019).
If a patient invades the nurses personal space it may cause the nurse to become uncomfortable around the patient. The nurse may even consider the patient to be a threat based on the patient’s demeanor. The patient may also become uncomfortable if the nurse invades their personal zone without letting the patient know what the nurse intends to do before hand.
Before a nurse performs an assessment on a patient that would cause the nurse to enter the patient’s intimate zone (0-18 inches) or the patient’s personal zone (18-36 inches), the nurse should explain the assessment to the patient. The nurse should ask the patient for permission before entering into the patients intimate or personal zones before beginning the assessment. If the nurse attempts to perform an assessment on a patient without permission entering the patients personal zone, the patient may form the wrong idea, and may even become combative depending on their mental status. If the patient forms the wrong idea about the nurse, it may cause an issue with the therapeutic relationship between the nurse and patient.
