Whether you are an RN, NP, LPN or any other nurse or healthcare professional, you are likely to come across challenging patients throughout your career. Here are some tips on how to deal with them.
First, remain calm by not taking the situation personally. Remaining calm will allow you to see the situation more clearly which will help to respond more effectively.
Empathy is crucial and one of the quickest ways to calm an angry patient. Empathy is showing the patient that you see the situation from their perspective and that you care.
If the patient is making unreasonable demands, it is important to set boundaries. One way of setting boundaries is by setting expectations, for example, by telling the patient when and how often you will be checking-in on them and then following through.
