Interactions between patients and medical practitioners can sometimes be challenging. We have all had consultations where the interaction was not optimal, either as medical practitioners or as a patient ourselves. Neither normally
wishes to cause a difficult situation but common misunderstandings, by both groups, often result in such an occurrence. Communication and listening skills are essential for every consultation but in particular, for situations where the interaction may become difficult.
In this article, we will discuss what may make a consultation difficult and what outcomes this could lead to, and provide some suggestions to help both you and your patient.Go to:
What is a challenging interaction and how might it be perceived?
Many different challenging interactions occur daily. These challenging interactions may arise due to discrepancies in expectation, perception and/or communication between
the patient and medical practitioner, and could be caused by the doctor, by the patient or by both. We have outlined a list of potential scenarios in table 1 and discuss how these might be perceived from both a healthcare professional and patient perspective.
