Managing angry patients Flashcards
What is the acronym for managing angry patients?
Listen
Empathise
Apologise (but do this before empathising)
Rectify and Note
What can be done for listening?
Take time to hear the full complaint out.
“Tell me what’s bothering you”
“Tell me your concerns”
What can be done for apologising and empathising?
“I’m really sorry that this is happening to you/ has happened to you”
“I’m sorry that you’ve been waiting for so long”
“I can see that your frustrated with how things are”
What should be done after apologising, reflecting and empathising?
Understand the situation fully.
“I’m really sorry that this has happened. Are you able to tell me a bit more about your experience?”
What can be done to rectify and note the situation?
“I want to let you know that I will do my best to improve things from here on”
- Prompt investigation, management and follow up
- “Sometimes even good doctors can miss things. But we all need to learn from these situations so I will bring this up”. Notify staff involved about the error so that it is not repeated again
- Support the patient in making a formal complaint should they wish
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention as we can now take action to prevent this from happening again”
