Discussion on difficult patients

Discussion Question

 

In a hospital setting the nurse or physician is bound to encounter difficult patients from time to time.  If the difficult patient is not managed properly, this is going to make it increasingly difficult to communicate the treatment plan to the patient, his family or friends.  However whether the nurse encounters a patient who is manipulative, angry, downright nasty or demanding, one is begin questioning why they are in the profession in the first place.  However it is easy to deal with it when the patient says thank you making them remember why they are in the nursing practice.  It is however easy to handle difficult patients by applying tactics and forethoughts.  For example when dealing with angry patients it is important to understand why they are angry in the first place. For example it could be due to long wait which can make them fear of not knowing reasons for the wait.  It is important to interview the patient as a course of action to establish what they feeling (Medalia, Herlands, Saperstein, & Revheim, 2017). 

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It is important to use reflective statements like ‘I can understand why you feel that way’ then discuss the possible solution. At times patients can be manipulative and can do all they can to make caring for them difficult as they would command for doctor attention and special treatment. It is important that the nurse recognizes what they feel when dealing with the patient and not let emotions overwhelm them. In any case it is important to avoid argument (Medalia, Herlands, Saperstein, & Revheim, 2017). The most important part of dealing with difficult patients is to understand them and self-reflect on one’s feeling so as to meet the goals of the treatment and care plan for the patient.