Nurse-patient relationship and its implications for retention in the PMTCT of HIV programme in Ghana: an appreciative inquiry.

The nurse-patient relationship in the PMTCT programme evolved as the relationship progressed along the PMTCT cascade. Strengthening of the nurse-patient relationships was underscored by building trust through the maintenance of confidentiality, setting mutual goals, shared emotional experiences and personal stories, and building clients' self-worth. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that professional boundaries are set and maintained to reduce the occurrence of over-dependence of the clients and burnout of the nurses.