Challenging Consultations

Practical top tips for managing challenging consultations:

  • Control your own emotions
  • Don’t get angry
  • Verbalise the difficulty
  • Validate your patient
  • Don’t be afraid of silence
  • Try to find some common ground
  • Know when to call it a day

As a doctor, if all has failed, take time to reflect on the consultation at a later point. Perhaps review the notes and discuss with colleagues. Be the type of doctor where calling it a day with an unhappy patient is a rare event and something that you feel is worth reflecting on.

EMKF

Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) is a not-for-profit (NGO) public benefit organisation registered in Kenya