We have all said this under our breath:
“What a difficult patient!”
You know the patient…
- You can’t seem to find a time that suits them.
- They cancel all the time.
- You are always following them up.
- They never want to have all their treatment completed.
- They are in pain and want an appointment immediately.
- They complain because your fees are too high.
- They are always late.
- They are always cranky on the phone and in the surgery.
- They ask so many questions.
And the list goes on and on and on…
What if you are not meeting the needs of your patient?
I do believe the difficult patient is responding to a particular situation where their needs are not being met.
The patient is not “a difficult patient” they are just responding to a difficult situation?
Being difficult is a behaviour that most of us show when we are:
- Confused
- We don’t fully understand what is going on.
- Faced with a problem
- Unsure
- Scare and concerned
- Upset
- Frustrated
The next time you answer the phone or you are confronted by a patient who appears to be difficult, start to look at why they are being difficult.
What has caused them to have this behaviour?
I know this can be challenging.
The best way to handle a difficult situation with a patient is to find out why and offer a solution.
Start asking questions to find out more.
Then you can work out a solution or at least a next step to a solution.
Asking the right questions leads to:
- The patient calming down and starting to trust you.
- The patient opening up to you.
- A solution.
The real skill in dealing with a “difficult patient”, is to ask calming questions to find what the problem really is, and then offer suitable solutions.
So really there is no such thing as a difficult patient but rather a patient responding to a difficult situation.
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