Difficult Patients Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter 8 Review We all have our good days and bad days. Sometimes on those bad days we can be a little mean, aggressive or withdrawn. But when we have the good days we can be happy, appreciative and much more. The way we act depends on the situation we are placed in, what is going on in our life and any perceived stress or threat can also affect the mood. As healthcare providers, it is important to understand the good and bad attitudes a patient has throughout our time with them. It is vital to understand how to appropriately take care of them and how to “deal” with them. Chapter 8 in the book talks about dealing with difficult patients. Like mentioned before, we will come across those patient who are “good” and those who are “bad.” The bad patients are the hostile, emotionally unstable, stubborn and noncompliant ones who everyone tends to try to avoid. As stated in the book, there are many “roadblocks” in the treatment plan for the difficult patients. Some of these roadblocks include not taking medications, refusing treatment and not wanting education regarding treatment plan. This can be stressful to the nurses who have multiple patients to take care of and can cause strain in the nurse patient relationship. The nurses may not want to enter the room often so it can lead to lack of communication between the nurse and patient as well as little to no care for the patient. The lack of the relationship can be detrimental to both the patient and the nurse because of
the increased stress and decrease care to patient which could potentially cause a miss of vital evidence in the patients care. There are key parts one must follow when dealing with difficult patients. Our book states many clinical implications when dealing with difficult patients. The book states that in the view of spirituality, there is no such thing as difficult patients. This is a vital statement because it can change a person’s view about a patient when you look at it from the view of no such thing as a difficult patient. Those who seem like a difficult patient may be, according to the book, unable to find meaning in life. The nurse or healthcare provider should maintain a proper perspective of the patient, but that is sometimes lost when there is lack of communication and lack of attempt to solve a problem. However, this can be fixed by including the patient and family members on the problem solving to come up with an outcome that everyone agrees on. The nurse should also be compassionate and show a positive attitude to those who are struggling and may seem to have lack of meaning in their life. Through this, the patient may open up to the nurse and work to identify and acknowledge the problems they are experiencing and what is causing stress. This requires the nurse to sit and listen to the patient, which will show the patient that the nurse cares and making an effort to help them. Lastly, the nurse can explore their spiritual aspects in life and be able to identify and set goals with the patient that could potentially resolve the distress they may be experiencing. With these different strategies and being nonjudgmental, a nurse can improve the nurse patient relationship and improve the outlook on a difficult patient. Throughout our careers, we will come across those who seem difficult.
It is important to remember not to look at them as a difficult patient but rather as someone who is going through a rough time. We have to remain positive for them and explore their attitudes and feelings. Even though some patients may be way too hostile or aggressive it is worth a shot to try and talk with them. But it is vital to have a positive attitude, be compassionate and provide the same care as you would to any other
patient.