Do you ever feel your heart sink when you look at your schedule for the day and see the name of a particular patient that you’d rather avoid? Do you ever get behind because a patient has brought in far too many concerns-many of which you cannot address-for you to finish in the time allotted? Do you ever feel like you should have worn armor and a helmet into the examination room? Positive interactions between the patient and clinician lead to a healthy therapeutic relationship, but negative interactions can prevent us from providing optimal patient care. This article describes several common problematic situations and offers suggestions that will improve patient care.
