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.