Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

Some techniques for calming patients down 
Before you can resolve an issue for a frustrated patient, you must 
first engage them in a way that will calm them down enough to make a 
rational discussion possible. Each situation is unique and should be 
handled as such, but there are recognized techniques that are generally 
effective in calming patients.
Let the patient vent.
In most cases, patients who are difficult just 
want to let off some steam. They want to get their dissatisfaction or a 
perceived slight off their chest and they want someone to listen and ack-
nowledge them. For this reason, your first strategy for dealing with an 
angry or difficult patient should be to let them vent. Moving too quickly 
into problem-solving and failing to give the patient a chance to express 
his or her feelings is likely to backfire. Some patients will blow off 
steam in fifteen seconds and others will take five minutes. Give them the 
time they need to work through their frustration.
Step back and say to yourself, “OK, this is where I let them get it 
all out.”
While the patient is venting their frustration or telling their sto-
ry, you can begin to develop a rapport by using phrases like, “That 
sounds frustrating,” “I see,” “Go on,” or “And then what happened?” 
When the patient is finished be sure to ask, “Is there anything else I 
should know about this?” This way you are certain to get all of the 
details about the cause of their anger or frustration. 
Apologize and agree.
After the patient has vented completely, it’s 
time to apologize for their inconvenience and explain why the problem 
occurred. If you do this before they vent they will not listen to you 
because they haven’t felt heard, and your explanations will only make 
them angrier. Don’t blame anyone, simply apologize. Use statements 
like, “I understand how upset this situation has made you,” or “I’m sorry 
this happened, but I’m glad you’re bringing it to our attention.” 
It’s difficult to continue to argue or be upset with someone who is 
agreeing with you. But be careful not to “admit fault” or agree in a way 
that might put your hospital, clinic, or one of your healthcare providers 
at risk for a malpractice claim. For example, you would not want to say, 
“You are absolutely right, we should have gotten you scheduled for that 
x-ray much sooner than we did.” But you can agree that the issue is frus-
trating for the patient and empathize with their situation. “I’m sorry 
you’ve had this scheduling problem. Let’s work to get you on the sche-
dule now.”

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