Dealing with Verbally Abusive Patients

This video offers helpful tips on how to deal with a rude or demeaning patient. The video was created for/by nursing. Nurses typically spend more time with patients than doctors in direct patient care, and the tips apply for physicians as well.

Just because you're a nurse does not mean patients or their loved ones have a right to treat you disrespectfully or in an abusive manner. I've been a nurse since 2010 and dealt with many challenging situations. Here are my tips!

Gives patients a little bit of leeway, but if they’re being inappropriately rude, she recommends calling them out on it through a phrase along the lines of, “That’s not appropriate. You’re not going to talk to me like that. I’m here to take care of you. I need to be respected. I’m going to treat you with respect, and I expect the same back.” Hopefully this disarms this. You command respect, be firm, and treat them respectfully, don’t be demeaning or rude back to them. If that doesn’t work, get security involved.

More tips on deescalation

Another video from nursing staff through EmpoweRN on how to deal with a difficult patient:

The video covers the following tips:

1.This isn’t about you (the patient is in pain, afraid, had a bad day, etc)

2. Help the problem begin and end with you as bringing in a supervisor is unlikely to help change the situation (*more applicable to someone who has graduated and is in practice; if you’re still in training, would say it’s okay to seek help of a supervisor).

3. Ask them what you can do right then to help.

4. Work really hard to do your best so you have a clear conscience that you’re doing your best, so if/when there’s a complaint about you, you know it’s not about you, it’s about them.

Responding with empathy

Watch this video on a different type of difficult patient who is understandably upset about a 2 hour wait time for a clinic visit for medication refills:

Additional resources:

Here’s a short and sweet video on dealing with a difficult patient, including what to say and what not to say, and when to escalate to a supervisor:

For more comprehensive information, here’s an article from Family Practice Management on How to Manage Difficult Patients:

https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2007/0600/p30.html

The article covers patient-specific, situation-specific, and physician-specific factors, and the importance of careful communication.

Here’s a comprehensive 75 minute video of a talk Dr Glen Gabbard (psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine) gave in 2018 on “The Difficult Patient” for his Master Teacher award from the American Psychoanalytic Association. (Dr Gabbard has many credentials and accolades, and those are covered in the first 3:30 minutes of the talk.)

References:

Kleber, K. (2016, May 9). Tips for Nurses on How to Deal with Verbally Abusive Patients. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imtfaFqMg7E

EmpoweRN. (2014, July 13). How to Deal with a Rude Patient or Family Member :). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k2fdH-9f0w

PhysicianHealthBC. (2011, November 13). Difficult patient - angry about office wait - empathic. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM3su8ZcriY

Bope, C. (2016, May 26). Handling Difficult Patients. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4MSUH53lc

Hull, SK, and Broquet, K. How to Manage Difficult Patient Encounters. Fam Pract Manag. 2007 Jun; 14(6): 30-34. Also Retrieved from https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2007/0600/p30.html

apsaorg309. (2018, Jun 7). “The Difficult Patient” Glen Gabbard, M.D. 2018 - APsaA Master Teacher Award Recipient. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUDuLmjTaZ4