How can we better manage difficult patient encounters?
These communication strategies—including 2 mnemonics and an at-a-glance guide—can help you help patients with unexplained complaints.
Family physicians sometimes worry that the communication techniques we’ve outlined cannot be incorporated into an already harried primary care visit. Many may think it’s better not ask at all than risk opening a Pandora’s box. We urge you to reconsider. Although the techniques we’ve outlined certainly require practice, they need not be time-consuming.19 By embracing this management approach, you can improve patient satisfaction while enhancing your own repertoire of doctoring skills.
CORRESPONDENCE
Alan R. Teo, MD, MS, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR 97239; alan.teo@va.gov
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors thank Drs. Michael Fetters and Rod Hayward for their help in the development of the manuscript.
