Effective communication is vital for the physician-patient relationship. A physician’s ability to remain calm, patient and composed while delivering care and communicating can significantly impact patient outcomes, satisfaction and, perhaps most importantly, trust. However, maintaining this composure can be challenging when emotions run high or when patients become combative. 

Here are some best practices to help physicians communicate effectively with patience, ensuring patients stay calm, informed and reassured.

1. Cultivate active listening skills

One of the most effective ways to communicate is to practice active listening. When patients feel heard, they are more likely to be calm and cooperative. When patients sense you value their concerns, they are more likely to trust (and therefore follow) your advice and feel at ease – even in difficult situations.

There are three things you can do to improve your active listening:

  • Give your full attention: Maintain eye contact and use non-verbal cues like nodding to show you’re engaged.
  • Avoid interrupting: Let patients express their concerns fully before offering a response.
  • Clarify and summarize: Repeat key points back to the patient to confirm understanding and show you are truly listening.

2. Stay calm and collected during conversations

As a physician, remaining calm is not only important for your own mental well-being but also for maintaining an atmosphere of professionalism. After all, emotions can escalate quickly in a medical setting, due to fear and the patient’s lack of medical understanding. To stay calm during patient interactions, consider the following techniques:

  • Take a deep breath: If you find yourself becoming frustrated or anxious, take a moment to breathe deeply and collect your thoughts before responding.
  • Practice mindfulness: Being present in the moment can help reduce stress and keep you focused on the patient rather than any external pressures or distractions.
  • Speak slowly and softly: When you maintain a calm tone, it can help de-escalate tense situations, even when the patient may be stressed or upset. They will subconsciously match your energy.

3. Keep patients informed and reassured

Medical terminology and complex diagnoses can overwhelm patients, leaving them confused, stressed and anxious. Clear communication infused with compassion helps ensure they understand their conditions and treatment options and feel reassured. 

Providing clear, concise information while demonstrating empathy can greatly enhance the patient’s experience and their trust in you as a provider. Some things you can do to keep patients informed without stressing them further are:

  • Simplify medical terms: Break down complex information into language the patient can easily absorb and understand. For instance, instead of saying, “Your labs indicate hyperlipidemia,” explain, “Your cholesterol levels are higher than we’d like, and here is how we can fix that.”
  • Use visual aids: Visuals can help patients grasp difficult information more quickly. Whenever possible, use charts, diagrams or models to explain medical conditions and procedures. For older patients without family members to help them process information, or patients with high anxiety, consider writing the information. (Not just on stapled pages of discharge paperwork, but in the moment, so when you leave the patient’s bedside, or when the patient leaves your office, they will have something to refer to and share with others they talk to later.)
  • Offer step-by-step explanations: Clearly outline what will happen during each step of a treatment or procedure. People have a natural tendency to fear the unknown, so knowing what to expect greatly helps to reduce patient anxiety.
  • Reassure with empathy: Acknowledge the patient’s fears or concerns and take the extra time to offer reassurance. Phrases like “I understand this is difficult, but we’re going to work through it together” can go a long way toward letting a patient know they have an ally as well as a physician.

4. How to handle verbally combative patients

Not every interaction with patients will go smoothly. Stress, fear or frustration can lead to patients becoming argumentative or even verbally combative. It’s important to understand this is often a case of them taking out their fears and frustrations on the messenger.

As a physician, it’s essential to manage these situations professionally and empathetically. By maintaining professionalism and focusing on de-escalation, you can turn potentially combative situations into more productive conversations.

Here are ways to successfully manage these types of interactions:

  • Keep calm and avoid engaging emotionally: Sometimes the best way to avoid escalating a situation with a verbally combative patient is to avoid an emotional response. Keep your tone and your demeanor calm and neutral.
  • Set boundaries: If a patient becomes overly aggressive, politely but firmly set boundaries. For instance, say, “I understand you’re upset, but it’s important we have a calm conversation so I can help you.”
  • Validate their feelings: Patients often become argumentative because they feel misunderstood or unheard. Acknowledge their feelings. Sometimes saying something as simple as, “I can see this is frustrating for you, and I want to help. Let’s work through this together” can help diffuse the situation.
  • Redirect the conversation: If a patient’s aggression continues, try to redirect the conversation back to their health. Keep the focus on their medical condition and how you can help, rather than the conflict.
  • Know when to seek help: If a patient’s behavior becomes too aggressive or potentially threatening, don’t hesitate to seek assistance from security or other staff members. Your safety and that of your team is the top priority.

In addition to the strategies we’ve discussed, taking care of your own mental and emotional well-being is key to being able to consistently communicate with patience. Self-care practices, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep and stress management techniques, can help you stay resilient under pressure. Additionally, developing a strong support network within your practice – whether that’s through colleagues or mental health resources – can provide you with the emotional support needed when dealing with particularly challenging patients, or even easy-going patients with a challenging diagnosis.

Ultimately, the key is realizing one of the most important skills a physician can possess is the ability to communicate effectively. Being patient, calm and composed with your patients can improve both their experience and the quality of care you are able to provide. And positive patient outcomes are something every physician really wants to talk about. 

For more information and insights on best practices in practicing medicine, visit the PracticeLink Resource Center.