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The Complaining Patient

For best results, destroy the image of the adversarial patient in your practice

JACK RUNNINGER, O.D.

Optometric Management is proud to present a sampling of passed “Lessons Learned” columns. “Lessons” began its run in OM in 1981. (Dr. Runninger has written in some optometric journal every month for 41 years.) The following column is an abridged version of “Lessons” from the November 1984 issue of OM. Dr. Runninger will write his final “Lessons Learned” column in the June 2015 issue of OM.

The novitiate was required to spend his first seven years in the monastery in complete silence. At the end of this seven-year period, he was called before the other monks and informed that he had the privilege of speaking two words before entering another seven-year period of silence.

“Food bad,” were the two words he spoke.

After the second seven-year period of silence, he was again allowed two words.

“Bed hard,” he replied this time, and again he entered another seven-year period of silence.

At the end of the third seven-year period, he was again called before the monks and allowed two more words.

“I quit,” he said.

“You might as well,” replied one of the monks. Ever since you entered the monastery, all you’ve done is gripe and complain.”

The complaining patient

All of which is a roundabout way of approaching the subject of the complaining patient.

We need to destroy the image — in our own minds as well as our patients’ — of an adversarial relationship when a patient is not completely satisfied with the results of our care.

Most patients do not like to be complainers, and they feel ill at ease if they believe you think they are complaining. They feel better if you reassure them that they really aren’t complaining.

“I hate to complain, but...,” said a patient who was having trouble with her glasses recently.

“Please don’t feel that you are complaining,” I told her. “You are merely stating the fact that you are having problems with your new prescription, and I’m glad you came to tell me about it.

“Suppose you went to a physician because you had an infection. You took the medication he prescribed, but your condition did not improve. You’re not complaining when you return to tell him that the medication did not work. In fact, if you didn’t, he would not know to prescribe a different form of medication.

“In the same vein, I prescribed what I thought was best to correct your vision. You’re not getting the results you hoped for, so we’ll work together to see what can be done.”

Be careful of arguments

If I’m not careful, I sometimes have a tendency to argue with the returning “complaining” patient, particularly if I think he is being unreasonable.

When I instead adopt the “non-complainer” approach, I find, in most cases, that patient and I assume the attitude of being allied against the patient’s problem, rather than adversaries against each other. OM

JACK RUNNINGER, OUR CONSULTING EDITOR, LIVES IN ROME, GA. HE’S ALSO A PAST EDITOR OF OM. CONTACT HIM AT RUNNINGERJ@COMCAST.NET.