A lot of patients are going in and out of hospitals every day. As each of them has different personalities, Healthcare Providers get to deal with a variety of situations that require flexibility of approach. Some of these patients are pleasant while some can be the exact opposite: #1. The Angry and the Irritable While Medical Professionals would appreciate kindness from their patients for all the work they do, anger projected toward them seem inevitable in some patients. They may be shouted at or be talked badly about which truly tests the patience of nurses. However, it pays to understand the patient's situation and what he/she may be feeling about it as anger and irritability may just be fear, depression or anxiety turned outwards. Some may tend to feel this way as a defense mechanism for the true feelings they have. #2. The Endless Talker Personal experiences shared about other things may be reflective of the general well-being of the patient. Thus,Medical Professionals would be happy to listen. However, there are these patients who never seem to get tired or run out of stories to tell. One visit to their room and you already know the entire lifestory of these patients. #3. The Manipulative Like a toddler who throws temper tantrums just to get what he/she wants, some patients tend to do the same. Whether for an extra dose of pain-killers or for a special request, these patients will do anything to convince you. Some may even try to threaten you so take an extra precaution. #4. The Know-it-all With today's technology, anyone can just search in the internet about anything including medical topics. As such, some patients tend to do so to be aware of their treatment. However, there comes a time when all they will ever do is question everything Doctors and nurses do (even when they are doing it right) and try to get ahead of them regarding their care. #5. The Demanding "I want this and I want it now!" "Do this for me." These are the common lines you can hear from demanding patients. Even when they can actually do such things by themselves, it seems they find comfort in all the attention they could get from nurses and other healthcare providers. #6. The Non-compliant One of the most difficult patients nurses encounter is the noncompliant patient. While some of them complies after a series of health teachings, some still do not. Nurses then should take every initiative to identify these patients' reasons and help them with their care as patient advocates. #7. The Pleasant Fortunately, the majority of patients are the pleasant ones. Although it is rewarding to deal with difficult patients, the pleasant patients make the life of nurses easier and they could not be more thankful for that. Aside from these, there are still other types of patients nurses encounter every day. With this, it all boils down to the importance of them having empathy and understanding for each patient. Source
