10 tips on how to deal with difficult patients
To help guide you, we have collated the top 10 best tips how to deal with difficult patients in healthcare. These tips are helpful for anyone who interacts with patients, from medical students to specialists. Remembering these will allow you to prioritize patient health and do what you do best.
1. Hear them out and identify the issue
Regardless of your beliefs or position on difficult situations, always listen to your patients to try and understand where they're coming from. Always approach the situation with compassion and empathy, and listen to what they have to say. You're far more likely to address the crux of the matter if you know what it is!
2. Do not take it personally
Every patient who walks through your door is likely to be facing challenges at home or work, so you must maintain a level head. Sometimes, people are too absorbed with themselves and become inconsiderate of others. Many factors could explain why a patient could be acting the way they are, and it usually has nothing to do with you personally. Healthcare can be delicate and sometimes very upsetting, so don't let the negativity get to you.
3. Do not get too defensive
In a challenging interaction, remaining calm and avoiding becoming defensive is essential. Even if the criticism feels unwarranted, remember that patients might react out of frustration or fear. Being defensive can escalate situations even further, and arrogance doesn't do anyone any good! Instead of responding defensively, listen to their concerns and respond with empathy. These things de-escalate the situation and let you have a productive conversation.
4. Connect with the patient
It's no secret that the patient experience is about your interactions and how well you understand and deal with their health concerns. Spend time getting to know your patient and showing care to foster greater connections and, thus, better treatment.
You can probably talk about football with a patient who came in wearing their favorite team's shirt, the same way a patient who got injured while hiking is probably outdoorsy. Look at their body language and use active listening. If you don't have any clues, you can ask them what they'll do on the weekend. Get them chatting—not only does this make them more cooperative, but you'll probably have fun talking to them.
5. Show the patient that you care
There tends to be a stigma in healthcare that doctors aren't empathetic to patient situations because, after all, they deal with them day in and day out. Healthcare can feel like an impersonal process; however, you must let patients know this isn't the case. Emphasize that under your care, patients feel you're available to hear their concerns and will always do your best to meet their needs.
6. Calmly find a solution
It's easy to become frustrated when dealing with difficult patients. However, taking this frustration out on them won't do any good. Take deep breaths or work on another task before returning to the conversation. You can even ask for a break in the conversation and get back to them later. This will help clear your mind and enable you to return with a level head. This trick can help you convert challenging interactions into productive, successful ones.
7. Use patient satisfaction surveys
Patient satisfaction surveys are a great way to gauge the experience of your services and how patients receive them. They can help identify areas of weakness for you to improve upon, such as your waiting room, and can help increase loyalty within your practice. And try to avoid leading questions—sure, no one wants negative feedback, but you will never know what you need to improve if you don't get any.
8. Set and enforce boundaries
Professional interactions in healthcare are a two-way street, so if a patient is acting inappropriately, you should be able to gently but assertively tell them that you deserve to be treated with respect. You, too, are human, and collaboration is made simpler when both parties maintain a level of respect.
9. Do not tolerate any form of abuse
So, you put up boundaries, but the difficult patient did not hesitate to cross them. Whatever the situation and your decisions, you should never tolerate any form of abuse from any patient. When a customer is hostile, try not to provoke further escalation, but do call for other authorized persons to help defuse situations if needed. If all else fails, call security—but remember, this is a last resort.
10. Be proactive
Finally, you must be proactive in any situation and prioritize patient health. Ensure you're continuously delivering high-quality healthcare solutions, communicating, and working through all issues and challenges. Ignoring things doesn't make them disappear, so you must maintain proactivity.
