Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Dec 14;54(4):495-500.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1739249. eCollection 2021 Oct.

Managing an Unhappy Patient

Viral Desai  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Managing an Unhappy Patient

Viral Desai. Indian J Plast Surg. .

Abstract

A clinical study has noted that one out of six patients is perceived as "difficult" by clinicians. Not surprisingly, patient dissatisfaction has to do with multiple factors, both within and outside the control of the surgeon. In the present times of electronic information and ratings, managing difficult patients is a critical skill-a patient's dissatisfactory review could adversely affect a practitioner's reputation built over years of meticulous practice. Patient expectations are often more pronounced in case of elective medical procedures such as hair transplants. The subject of managing an unhappy patient in the context of hair transplantation is, therefore, one that requires due enquiry and is the subject that this article seeks to explore.

Keywords: dejected patients; disappointed; disgruntled; dissatisfied.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Personality characteristics of difficult cosmetic surgery patients.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
BATHE technique.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Standard operating procedure framework.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
ROAR approach.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
BLAST technique.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mathers N, Jones N, Hannay D. Heartsink patients: a study of their general practitioners. Br J Gen Pract. 1995;45(395):293–296. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khanna M.Hair transplantation surgery Indian J Plast Surg 200841(Suppl):S56–S63. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adams J, Murray R., IIIThe general approach to the difficult patient Emerg Med Clin North Am 19981604689–700., v - PubMed
    1. Hull S K, Broquet K. How to manage difficult patient encounters. Fam Pract Manag. 2007;14(06):30–34. - PubMed
    1. MEMO Investigators . An P G, Rabatin J S, Manwell L B, Linzer M, Brown R L, Schwartz M D. Burden of difficult encounters in primary care: data from the minimizing error, maximizing outcomes study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(04):410–414. - PubMed