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Introduction
You’re nearing the end of your shift, running on the fumes of the three cups of coffee you drank 12 hours ago—nothing wrong can happen, it's home stretch. But then, an angry patient comes up to you, with a frown on their face and a bone to pick. What do you do?
In the healthcare industry, it's inevitable that you're going to encounter difficult patients, which can be pretty tough to deal with. It's all too easy to just let the floodgates open and fight with them, but that's never the best option in any scenario.
Difficult patients don't really wake up in the morning and choose to be difficult. They are probably acting that way for various other reasons. They may not understand where you're coming from, disagree with the price or processes within your service, or they may just be challenging to interact with from a personal perspective.
Regardless, it's highly important that you're aware of why certain patients may be acting a certain way, and how to deal with and overcome these barriers. Doing so will allow you to collaborate, produce higher clinical outcomes, get higher Patient Average Visit (PVA) numbers, and build professional working relationships.
Factors that can cause a patient to lash out
Before going any further, it's important that you understand why some patients may be more difficult to work with, and why discrepancies in communication can occur. It's never nice dealing with uncooperative patients, however, by knowing the reasons behind their actions, you can work towards improved interactions with minimal hostility.
Patient factors
In a difficult patient encounter, your patient may be angry, confused, grieving, resistant, or scared, especially if you're in an ambulatory clinic. Your patient may be frustrated or in chronic pain, or they may have mental health issues. It's vital that you're able to identify and recognize patient characteristics and feelings before moving forward. Addressing their specific concerns will help you to empathize with their situation, encourage conversation, and deal with their queries and emotions swiftly.
Language barrier
With the increasingly diverse US population numbers, it's no surprise that many practitioners are finding it difficult encounter they have to communicate with those who don't have English as their first language. Growing immigrant numbers present greater ethnic groups who all need access to healthcare, regardless of the language communication barrier. Interpreters or multilingual staff may be necessary, in addition to greater cultural sensitivity.
Overstretched system
Having an overstretched system can cause significant delays and backlogs that reduce the quality of services amongst patients, which in turn affects their attitude. Ensure you have appropriate staff numbers and adequate resources to keep up with your system requirements, especially in times of growth and expansion. Alternative solutions include optimizing workflows and using practice management software.
Waiting times/cancellations of appointments
Long wait times and frequent cancellations can be intensely frustrating to deal with, so it's important you have the right resources and systems in place to prevent these from happening. To help you, check out our tips for practice waitlist management to ensure you're able to see all patients that walk through your doors.
Doctor/physician factors
While patient difficulties can arise from their family members own experiences, it's important to recognize that physicians can also contribute to challenging interactions. It's completely normal for physicians to feel burnt out and stressed from time to time, especially within the high-stress environment of healthcare, however, this should never translate into patient experiences. Knowing limits and getting enough sleep is absolutely key!
Additionally, it's important to keep personal beliefs and emotions to ourselves, as sometimes patients can feel that doctors carry arrogant attitudes, which is a huge no-no.
Breaking bad news
Inevitably, you'll need to deliver news that may be difficult for many patients to hear. These situations can be quite fragile, however, with sufficient preparation, you can definitely handle them well. Allowing time for private conversations and ensuring you deliver news in a private and confidential setting are critical. This way, you and your patients are on the same page. Discuss what the news means, what the next steps may be, as well as additional resources for support.
Environmental factors
Having a busy environment that is riddled with noise and chaos can also lead to negative impressions and bad patient experiences. Having a physical environment policy for healthcare is a great way to alleviate any stresses pertaining to surroundings, and can work towards more pleasant healthcare solutions. This is also inclusive of online services, and having a visually appealing telehealth background can work wonders.
Examples of when a patient can be difficult
There are various times when a patient can be challenging to work with, and knowing these can help you be better prepared. Understanding these scenarios can help you develop and implement strategies for improving communication among difficult patients.
- Personal research: Oftentimes, patients will research their condition or treatment at home and reach their own conclusions, which can be very challenging. They'll likely dismiss your medical expertise, reject your diagnosis, and have a closed mind concerning their best course of action.
- Disagreement of treatment: Sometimes, you and your patient may not be on the same page regarding treatment, which can cause difficulties. Your patient, for whatever reason, may not be willing to hear alternative options, and in a worst-case scenario, they may threaten legal action or take their case to the public.
- Lack of preventative measures: You could give all the advice in the world, but sometimes, patients just don't listen or make the necessary changes within their personal life. For example, patients with severe asthma may continue to smoke despite your opposing advice, and in these cases, it can be difficult to improve conditions if the work isn't put in.
10 tips for dealing with difficult patients
To help guide you, we have collated the top 10 best tips for managing difficult patients. These tips are useful 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
No matter your personal beliefs or position on difficult situation, always listen to your patients to try and understand where they're coming from. Always approach the situation with compassion and empathy, and simply 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 their own personal challenges at home or at work, so it's important that you maintain a level head. Sometimes, people are just too absorbed with themselves that they end up being inconsiderate to others. There are many factors 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, it's important to remain calm and avoid becoming defensive. Even if the criticism feels unwarranted, remember that patients might be reacting 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 all about your interactions, and how well you understand and deal with their health concerns. Spend time getting to know your patient and show you care, in order to foster greater connections, and thus, greater treatment.
You can probably talk about football with a patient who came in wearing a Chiefs 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 just 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, too.
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, it's important that you let patients know that this isn't the case. Emphasize that under your care, patient feel that you're available to hear out their concerns and that you 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 some 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 or difficult 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 they're received by patients. 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 crossing them. Whatever the situation, and what decisions you make, 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, it's important that you be proactive in any and all situations and continue to prioritize patient health. Ensure that you're continuously delivering high-quality healthcare solutions and that you communicate and work through all issues and challenges that arise. Ignoring things doesn't make them go away so it's important that you maintain proactivity.
Conclusion
Every healthcare business is familiar with difficult patient encounters—they are a fact of life that cannot be avoided, so it's important that you know exactly how to deal with these situations.
Understanding patients and approaching them from a place of compassion and empathy, regardless of their personal beliefs and values, is a key point of utmost importance in smoothening communication. Increasing the value of your professional relationships can significantly elevate the quality of your practice, as well as boost patient experiences, so it's important that you work through all patient challenges that come your way. Hopefully, our tips and tricks have given you a great place to start!
Why use Carepatron to deal with patients?
Carepatron provides a comprehensive and user-friendly platform to help healthcare professionals efficiently manage patient interactions and enhance relationships. Here's why Carepatron stands out as an ideal solution:
- Patient portal: Carepatron's patient portal allows patients to schedule appointments, view their health information, and communicate securely with their healthcare providers. This promotes transparency and convenience, leading to better patient engagement and satisfaction.
- Practice management software: Carepatron offers a robust practice management system, streamlining administrative tasks like appointment scheduling, billing, and documentation. This helps healthcare professionals stay organized and focused on providing quality care.
- Telehealth platform: Carepatron's telehealth solution enables remote consultations, enhancing accessibility and convenience for both healthcare providers and patients. It even comes with an AI-powered medical transcription service.
- Appointment reminders: Carepatron's appointment reminder feature helps reduce no-shows and ensures that patients attend their scheduled appointments, promoting efficient and effective patient care.
By choosing Carepatron, healthcare professionals can effectively deal with patients, ensuring a seamless and positive experience for both medical care providers and patients alike.
Try Carepatron today for free, and become the epitome of a mindful practice!
