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.