Resolving Patient Complaints

Finally, always try to learn something from the experience. Ask yourself how you might prevent a repetition of the complaint, what you did that you can avoid doing next time, and how you might prevent unrealistic expectations in the future.

Above all, do not take complaints personally—even when they are personal. No matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone.

To respond to this column, e-mail Dr. Eastern at sknews@elsevier.com