Angry patients can evoke fight or flight responses in medical professionals. Inability to diffuse situation in a professional manner can lead to disastrous consequences. Here are few tips to effectively diffuse the situation
4. Getting caught in an altercation with one
patient or a family member can interfere with
your effectiveness as a clinician and
compromise care of other patients too
6. When any patient appears to be “angry,” the presence of
pain must be considered and treated as a matter of urgency
7. Hospitalization can be an intensely
destabilizing experience for both the
patient and his or her caregivers ;
“Physical, emotional & Financial”
8. Patient’s sometimes feel their requests are unheard,
expectations are not met or they are not informed about their
condition, plan of management or risks involved
9. Calm, professional and empathetic approach is essential for
establishing coherent dialogue and diffusing the situation
11. How we react…..
Try to solve the
problem
Defend yourself or the
person who upset
them
12.
13. Universal upset person protocol
Dr. Dike Drummond
“Works for patients, colleagues, your partner, children
and even complete strangers”
Regardless of what/who they are upset with, Either
verbally upset or visibly upset, but silent
14. 6 Steps of UUPP
You look upset
Tell me about it
I’m so sorry this is happening
What would you like me to help
Here is what we can do
26. The term “difficult” is subjective. Differences in expertise
and experience account for differences in perception
27.
28.
29. Summary
• Errors in hospitals would continue to happen
• Sometimes, due to loopholes in processes
• Face it; Don’t run away
• Avoid being defensive or blaming people
• Acknowledge patient’s emotion, empathize
• Establish trust and diffuse situation
• Learn from experiences by introspection
Hinweis der Redaktion
Why do patients become angry? What are the common “root” causes?
1. Pain. Medical illness is often accompanied by pain, so much so that pain is often considered the fifth vital sign. Assessment and treatment of pain is an important factor for all medically ill patients. Anger is a common emotion in patients with pain, especially chronic pain. It is thought that the presence of significant anger may in fact further aggravate the feeling of pain. Physicians must not only be able to assess pain, but also to weigh the benefits and the risks in prescribing analgesics. When any patient appears to be “angry,” the presence of pain, especially untreated/undertreated pain, must be considered and rectified as a matter of urgency.
2. Fear and worry. Being medically ill, especially if one is hospitalized, can be an intensely destabilizing experience for both the patient and his or her caregivers. In some cases, an unknown prognosis, the occurrence of complications or the impact of the illness on their independence, can make patients fearful about the future. This worry can manifest as anger, and since patients cannot direct their worry or anger toward their illness, this anger may be displaced onto people around them, including hospital workers. Attempting to recognize, and where possible alleviate, their worries is often very helpful.
3. Feeling unheard or uninvolved . Any patient who displays anger in a hospital setting is guaranteed to attract attention. For some patients the expression of anger may actually suggest that they feel “unheard” in the medical setting. They may feel that they do not have enough information about their condition or their concerns have not been addressed. The question then arises, how do we make them feel heard? Do they understand why they are in the hospital? Do they understand what their treatment options are? Do they feel they have been part of the decision-making process? Ensuring that patients feel they are involved in their care can reduce the anger that can arise out of being “unheard” in a hospital.
4. An unidentified medical condition or psychiatric disorder. Some individuals may become very angry or irritable in the context of a medical or psychiatric problem. Withdrawal from an addictive substance such as heroin or the presence of major depression or delirium can present with irritability or agitation. It is important to ensure that patients who present with anger are evaluated for the presence of an underlying psychiatric or medical condition.
Why do patients become angry? What are the common “root” causes?
1. Pain. Medical illness is often accompanied by pain, so much so that pain is often considered the fifth vital sign. Assessment and treatment of pain is an important factor for all medically ill patients. Anger is a common emotion in patients with pain, especially chronic pain. It is thought that the presence of significant anger may in fact further aggravate the feeling of pain. Physicians must not only be able to assess pain, but also to weigh the benefits and the risks in prescribing analgesics. When any patient appears to be “angry,” the presence of pain, especially untreated/undertreated pain, must be considered and rectified as a matter of urgency.
2. Fear and worry. Being medically ill, especially if one is hospitalized, can be an intensely destabilizing experience for both the patient and his or her caregivers. In some cases, an unknown prognosis, the occurrence of complications or the impact of the illness on their independence, can make patients fearful about the future. This worry can manifest as anger, and since patients cannot direct their worry or anger toward their illness, this anger may be displaced onto people around them, including hospital workers. Attempting to recognize, and where possible alleviate, their worries is often very helpful.
3. Feeling unheard or uninvolved . Any patient who displays anger in a hospital setting is guaranteed to attract attention. For some patients the expression of anger may actually suggest that they feel “unheard” in the medical setting. They may feel that they do not have enough information about their condition or their concerns have not been addressed. The question then arises, how do we make them feel heard? Do they understand why they are in the hospital? Do they understand what their treatment options are? Do they feel they have been part of the decision-making process? Ensuring that patients feel they are involved in their care can reduce the anger that can arise out of being “unheard” in a hospital.
4. An unidentified medical condition or psychiatric disorder. Some individuals may become very angry or irritable in the context of a medical or psychiatric problem. Withdrawal from an addictive substance such as heroin or the presence of major depression or delirium can present with irritability or agitation. It is important to ensure that patients who present with anger are evaluated for the presence of an underlying psychiatric or medical condition.
Interpersonal in nature
Difficulty in dealing is a function of the relationship
Based upon discomfort with
What has happened
What might happen
The #priority at this stage is to resolve the issues as early as possible.
Accepting mistakes and working on solutions without delay
Individuals should learn from these mistakes and take up finding a solution as a challenge. Preparations to avoid such mistakes in the future should be given priority and repetitive annoying problems should be avoided. This way the processes are updated and people have an added responsibility to acquire this as a part of their skill set.
there should be prioritisation of activities there should also be a contingency plan ready, so that in case of emergencies backup plans can be executed to avoid further damage which is caused by the human errors. If such plans are followed, it minimised the risk and also gives stability to the process execution.
However, giving this priority to solve the problem shouldn't lead to neglecting other parallel tasks and activities. The other independent processes should not be halted when individuals are finding solutions to the problems. Infact, the challenge lies in solving the issues without disrupting the functioning of other processes
"A Good day means everything is fine..
sssss
Bad day means you've gained some new experience and have to fight the challenge"