l. Be professional and display confidence in yourself and your abilities. The
patient will have more confidence in you if he can sense that you have confidence in
yourself.
m. Take coffee breaks out of the patient's sight.
n. Give the patient reasons for inconveniences. If he has to wait an hour to get
into the clinic, or if someone who came in after he did had to be taken first, politely tell
him why. And do not take it personally if he is easily angered by such inconveniences.
Section IV. THE ANGRY PATIENT
1-11. CAUSES OF ANGER
In addition to biological needs (for water, food, etc.), human beings have needs
that are on a higher level. These include such things as self-esteem, identity,
reputation, a feeling of belonging, a sense of accomplishment, and a feeling of control
over one's life. Needs of the second type often go unmet during periods of illness,
incapacitation, and/or hospitalization. These unmet needs, along with other losses and
threatening experiences, often lead to frustration and then anger (often for the family
members as well as the patient). To make matters worse, the patient's usual ways of
coping with anger are not available to him. He cannot run around the block or play
tennis. Also, he may not feel free to express his anger, especially if he is trying to be a
"good patient." (The patient trying too hard to be cooperative and do what he is told
without asking questions may be increasing his level of stress and, thereby, his
recovery time.)
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