Today, healthcare organizations deal with the threat of legal action more than ever before. More and more often, healthcare consumers are taking issue with various parts of their patient experience including online appointment booking, waiting room amenities and wait times, front office staff interactions, as well as interactions with their providers. No matter what the issue, having a solid plan of action can help medical teams quickly diffuse a challenging situation. Let’s discuss five beneficial approaches to effectively deal with an upset patient.
1. Recognize Early Signals
A good way to quickly and effectively calm down an upset patient is to identify and address early signals of discontent or distress. Medical teams should be reminded to consistently be on active lookout for even the smallest hint or warning sign that if given a little extra attention can be diverted from becoming an outburst or blowout.
By providing your patient with early detection of their growing frustration, you will be providing a safer and more quality type of care for both your patient and those around them, including medical staff and other patients. Just as positive emotions can be contagious, so can negative ones, if not more so. To keep your patient’s frustration from spreading to others, early detection and resolution are vital.
2. Remain Calm
Yes, this step is actually easier said than done. But it is important to try. No challenging situation was ever made better by adding to the level of frustration that is already present. This is why resisting the temptation to meet the consumer’s level of agitation with your own should always be at the forefront of thought in situations such as these.
It is vital for medical professionals and personnel to be trained and retrained in ways to assist them in maintaining a calm, polite, and empathetic exterior when dealing with an upset patient. By doing this, the situation will be easier to control and diffuse, as well as keep the level of excitement and agitation from rising any further.
3. Actively Listen
Actively listening means stopping what you are doing and giving the upset patient your undivided attention. By actively listening, you will not only be able to diffuse the situation but will also be better equipped to address their medical needs once they have calmed enough for you to do so.
When actively listening, it is important to show that you are invested in a positive resolution by maintaining eye contact, demonstrating concern, and waiting to speak. You will also want to ask questions that help you to better understand their frustrations, as well as what can be done to help resolve the issue.
4. Acknowledge Their Feelings
Most upset patients simply want to be heard and understood. Additionally, by helping healthcare consumers identify what sparked their frustrations and acknowledging their feelings, the issue can sometimes nearly resolve itself.
Moreover, with the acknowledgment of your patient’s feelings, you can also begin to reassure your patient that you are, in fact, an ally for them and not an adversary. Acknowledging what they are going through and feeling reinforces that you have been listening, that you do understand, and you want to help them find a satisfactory resolution as quickly as possible.
5. Find Options And Suggest Solutions
Sometimes the simplest solution and most beneficial tactic when facing an upset patient is to simply ask them what resolution they may have in mind. By providing your patient with a voice in what they believe could help the situation, they will feel more empowered in guiding their own challenging situation to a peaceful resolution.
Alternatively, this also opens up an opportunity for you, the healthcare provider, to suggest a couple of your own ideas for their consideration. And just like that, the situation goes from being disruptive to being productive and working together to settle on a resolution that is satisfactory for all.
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