Angry Patients

Part A) Angry patients and families pose one of the biggest challenges for clinicians. One of the barriers that nurses/doctors can face when dealing with an angry patient in a healthcare setting is difficult conversation. Angry patients can be very difficult to communicate with as most of them do not listen to the professionals when they are trying to speak to them. For the patient, it can be very frustrating when, for example, one is in pain and has to wait a long time to be seen by a doctor. This causes upset, anger and could be followed by violence which could be dangerous for the service user and the doctor. Patients' can be often angry at something/someone else which could be unrelated to the professional. The patient can also think that

The patient might not want to be spoken to at that moment, however could be necessary if the case is serious and needs attention straight away. When feeling anxious, it could be hard to build rapport and get consent of touch, which could then lead to the patient not wanting to get treatment as there is no connection with the carer. Anxiety can also cause distracted thinking. The patient can be thinking about things that has happened before which has made them feel that way, or find themselves overly focused on the way they feel. Distracted thinking makes it very hard to hold onto a conversation and the ability to communicate can be impaired as a result. [1] If the patient is crying or being hysterical because they are that anxious, it is very difficult to communicate as it is almost impossible to get your words through to

Being able to sort out a patients issues is crucial as a customers needs have to met. Training provides knowledge on different strategies to tackle the situation, for example – reflection. This strategy includes methods on the use of correct statements in order to calm the patient down.

The second important strategy to use when dealing with an angry patient is use of the appropriate verbal and body language. These two strategies can come under one as they are most likely to be used at the same time. Not using provocative body language, such as, smiling or/and laughing is crucial as this will provoke the patient to get even more angry or even to get violent. This strategy is very delicate, as you can easily get it wrong by saying the wrong words by accident. Using the correct language, for example, constantly using the patient's name in the sentence, describing their actions and what it makes you feel is important as it allows the service user to see themselves from a different point of view and almost make them feel bad for what they are doing, calming them down. The use of name is important because you are showing that you are aware of who they are and that you are there to help