Dealing with Aggressive or Violent Patients

Introduction

Today, people are becoming less patient and less tolerant of any inconvenience. They also appear to be less ashamed to make a scene about it.

Hence, at any time, pharmacy staff may encounter threatening behaviour from patients.

  • This behaviour can vary from verbal abuse to physical violence.

NOTE: While some may associate older adults with calm and wisdom due to their wealth of experiences, it is important to remember that some individuals grow old but retain negative traits.



Do's

Stay calm and communicate clearly and concisely.

  • Take deep breaths and avoid showing disgust or disbelief.
  • Be assertive, without being aggressive.

Listen to the patient and let them express their complaints before responding.

  • Show empathy and try to understand their perspective.
  • Apologize if there is some justification for their anger.

Offer options to angry patients.

  • Make them feel that they have some say in the situation.

Put your own safety first.

  • Keep a safe distance from the patient.
  • Ask for help from a senior colleague if necessary.
  • In an extreme situation, call for security personnel.

Incident reporting

  • Do not accept incidents as 'part of the job'.
  • Report them so that appropriate actions can be taken to protect and support you and other staffs.
  • Post-incident debriefing should be conducted.



Don'ts

Take the threatening behaviour personally.

  • It is natural to feel defensive but avoid arguing with the patient as it may worsen the situation.

Attempt to please the patient by giving in to their demands, unless it is reasonable to do so.

  • Giving in to their demands may ease the tension temporarily, but it may cause more problems in the future.
  • It may encourage the patient to act aggressively whenever they want special treatment.
  • It may also upset other patients who see that the aggressive patient is getting preferential treatment.



Summary

Even if there is no physical injury, violent or aggressive encounter can have serious psychological effects on the victim, such as changing their attitude towards their work, co­workers and patients.

  • Dealing with conflict can increase stress levels. Therefore, it is important to relax after such incidents, for example talking to a colleague or taking a short break.



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