Physicians Practice - February 2008 - (Page 45)

and you become their ally rather than an ally of the news.” • Resist getting defensive in such situations (also a very human response). “Recognize that the patient is sad, overwrought, aiming at anything rather than the issue at hand,” says Gillick. For example, the patient might accuse you of neglecting to order some test or of making an error in judgment that somehow triggered the illness or brought it to light at a later stage. Stay calm, recognize the patient’s anger, express your sympathy for the situation, and attempt to steer the conversation back to the issue at hand. help your patients. Also, seek out your peers or the other empathetic support sources to help you better cope with the pain and grief you may be feeling yourself. Regardless of your individual approach to communicating bad news to a patient, it’s important to keep in mind that there is no “foolproof strategy” to guide you through this difﬁcult aspect of patient care. “Sometimes medicine is almost like an algorithm,” says Gillick. “There’s a right thing to do for different medical conditions, such as for certain types of heart conditions … there are the right drugs to administer in the right doses and the right tests to do, AVOID OVERLOAD Many physicians mistakenly overwhelm patients with a glut of information about their diagnoses too quickly after dropping the bomb. AND WHAT ABOUT YOU? Skills notwithstanding, coping with a crying, angry, or stunned patient can tax physicians, says Puchalski. And surely, our health system is sorely lacking when it comes to providing doctors the emotional support they may need to handle such situations. “When you say something to someone, and they are crying or telling you that this can’t be, unless you’re stone cold, you will have some reaction to that,” says Puchalski. Simply recognizing that you are not a machine but a human being affected by your patients’ emotions and outcomes can vastly help you to WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM and it’s all very straightforward. But in this area, there is really no ‘right’ thing to do.” But if you gauge each situation to the best of your ability and customize your delivery according to individual needs, you’ll know how to best react to any possible response from your patients. • Barbara A. Gabriel holds an MA in English literature and is the associate editor of Physicians Practice. She has served as editor and writer for numerous healthcare publications during the past 10 years. She can be reached at bgabriel@physicianspractice.com. FEBRUARY 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 45 http://www.docsite.com/physicians http://www.docsite.com/physicians http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - February 2008

Physicians Practice - February 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Your Future is in Your Hands Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Creating an A+ Practice Noteworthy Cover Story: Conquering Time: 5 Keys to a More Efficient Practice In Balance: A Family Affair Technology: Making EMRs Work in the Exam Room In Practice: "I've Got Some Bad News" The Tech Doctor - The EMR: Savior or Poseur? Ask the Experts NEW! Healthonomics: How to Handle Health Savings Accounts The Administrator's Desk: Finishing School for New Managers Human Resources: Is Your Partner Impaired The Great Practice Makeover: Too Well-Liked for His Own Good? Coding Idealab: 'Why I Blog' Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.