CDA Essentials 2015 • Volume 2 • Issue 5

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30 | Volume 2 Issue 5
Issues and People
 Review notes prior to meeting with the
patient. Be prepared and informed as
you don’t want to retrigger an angry
patient by making them think, “You really
don’t know what’s gone on with me?”
 Provide opportunity for written and
verbal complaints. This gives the
patient a lot of choice, which is really
good; anything that gives the patient
some choice will de-escalate the anger.
 Call the police. The number of people
who suggested this tactic suggests that
health care providers, understandably,
don’t like to engage in conflict. However,
this should be considered an option if the
person has a prior history of violence or if
their behaviour is threatening. Trust your
judgement.
 Train staff in prevention. Work with
staff ahead of time by talking about
similar scenarios and the importance
of good communication with patients.
 Fulfil an ethical obligation. Some talked
about an ethical obligation to complete
unfinished care and be available for the
patient. Even if you do dismiss the patient,
let them know that until they find a new
dentist, you are available for emergency care.
 Keep good documentation. Dentists
talked about the importance of keeping
good documentation and reporting to
your malpractice or licensing body if an
incident has taken place in your office.
Can you recommend good
resources on communicating in
health care settings?
These websites and books have great tips for
dealing with angry people:
�
�
angry-people.htm
� Tough Questions, Great Answers: Responding
to Patient Concerns About Today’s Dentistry,
Edition 1, by Robin Wright (Quintessence,
1997). a
This interviewhasbeeneditedandcondensed.
Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflectthe
opinionsorofficialpoliciesoftheCanadianDentalAssociation.
To see the full interview,
visit
2015/04/20/sr-2/
To read the full scenario
that was presented to dentists,
visit
2015/04/02/cc1/
To see the replies from dentists,
visit
2015/04/14/fbcs/
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