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Volume2 Issue5
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I
ssues and
P
eople
Patient Communication Scenario:
HOWWOULDYOUHANDLE
ANANGRYPATIENT?
Howdoyou think this scenario
couldbehandled?
It’s the kindof situation that healthcare
workers aremostworriedabout—what do
I dowith somebodywhogets angry?But
thereare several general strategies that
dentists canuse tode-escalate the situation:
Listen.
Thefirst defence isgood listening.
Reflect onwhat thepatient has saidand
what theyareupset about. Try to show
empathy, if youcan.
Avoid.
Thisdoesn’tmeanavoiding the
patient—itmeansgiving them5or 10
minutes tocool down, and then telling
them, “I’m in themiddleof seeinga
patient right nowbut I’ll comebackand
wecan talkabout this in10or 15minutes.”
Don’t let them stew so long that itmakes
thingsworse, but alsouse this time to
gather your own thoughts.
Oblige.
Ask thepatient: “What can I do
tomake this situationbetter?” It’s about
figuringoutwhat theywant andwhat’s
behind their anger.
Integrate.
This approach is acollaboration
betweenyour interests and thepatient’s
interests. Ask thepatient, “Howcanwe
come together andfigureout something
thatworks for bothof us?”
It’s the kind of situation that health careworkers aremostworried
about—what do I dowith somebodywho gets angry?
OnOasisDiscussions,wepresenteddentistswith the following scenario:
Anangrypatient isdissatisfiedwith treatment received inyourofficeand refuses to leavea fullwaiting
room.Howwouldyouhandle this situation?
We receiveda lot of responsesfromCanadiandentists andaskeda communications expert foradvice.Dr. SheelaRaja
is a licensed clinical psychologist andassistant professorat theUniversityof Illinois atChicago,where she teacheshealth
communicationandbehaviouralmedicine.
Compromise.
Closely related to
integrating, thecompromiseapproach is
whereeveryonegives a littlebit oneither
side,whichallows you tocomeupwith
short-term solutions.
Dominate.
Youcould say, “I’m theboss,
it has tobedonemyway.” Sometimes
itworks, but other times it just escalates
the situation. Of all the strategies, the
dominatingapproach shouldbeused the
most sparingly.
It’s alsoagood idea tohaveanyof these
discussionswith thepatient inaprivate
setting, away from thecrowdedwaiting
room.
What stoodout for you in the
responses fromdentists?
First off, itwasgreat to seehow strongly this
question resonatedwithdentists—theyhad
somuch to say! Some specific suggestions
stoodout tomeasgoodapproaches:
Useamediator.
Somepeople said
theywould invite thepatient back for a
discussionanduseamediator, usually
another staffmemberwhowasnot
involved in theconflict.
Dr.SheelaRaja
BS,MA,PhD
