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Upset Patients
(Step 1 - Assure)

Micro Series Part 2 of 8 [Adapted from the masterclass Soothing The Upset Patient] Offering assurance is the first step to soothing an upset patient; it can instantly diffuse the situation. But what does that mean exactly? Find out this week. This upSKILL walks through what to say the moment someone gets upset, so they already know you're on their side.
   6:35 Watch Time [Week 31 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Not knowing what to say when a patient is upset, and you're not sure what the solution is
  • Walking into a room with an upset patient already dreading how it's going to go
  • Assuming an upset patient has already decided how they feel about you and there's nothing you can do
  • Walking in with confidence, knowing you and the patient are on the same team against the problem
  • Remembering that most upset patients aren't upset with you; it's about their perception of the exchange
  • Feeling more objective and less emotionally rattled with upset patients, teammates, or people in your personal life

For Leaders:

  • Team members reacting to complaints with facts and policy before addressing the patient's feelings
  • Inconsistent responses to upset patients depending on who's serving them that day
  • Team members getting defensive or emotional during patient complaints instead of staying objective
  • Losing patients and getting bad reviews because a patient never felt cared for, even when the outcome couldn't change
  • Coaching team members to walk into hard conversations with a same-team mindset instead of dread
  • Retaining more patients and protecting the organization's reputation by helping patients feel cared for, even when unhappy
  • Building a culture where patients feel like the organization is on their team from the very first response
 Data 

It's science

Uncertainty is one of the strongest anxiety triggers we have, often creating more distress than knowing a bad outcome outright.(1)
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An upset patient is almost always navigating some kind of unknown: what's happening, why, or what comes next, and assurance is often the fastest way to lower that uncertainty.
When people feel validated and understood, their stress response calms and their guard comes down, long before any solution is ever offered.(2)
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That's why leading with assurance, not information, is what actually starts to defuse the moment.
Well-handled complaints can leave people more satisfied and loyal than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place, a pattern researchers call the service recovery paradox.(3)
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How we respond in the moment usually matters more than the issue itself.
 Note 

From The Experts

"This step is important because it projects confidence on your part, validates that the patient has the right to feel the way they do, and assures them that we want to work together to find a solution."
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- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
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This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
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Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) Carleton, R. N. (2016). "Fear of the Unknown: One Fear to Rule Them All?" Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 41, 5-21. (2) Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. (3) McCollough, M. A., & Bharadwaj, S. G. (1992). "The Recovery Paradox: An Examination of Consumer Satisfaction in Relation to Disconfirmation, Service Quality, and Attribution Based Theories."