- Observing the situation without blame or judgment.
- Telling the person how this situation makes you feel.
- Connecting with a need of the other person.
- Making a request that is specific and based on action, rather than a request not to do something, such as "Would you be willing to … ?"
Dr. Rebecca Andrews
Dr. Andrews, who is professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut, Farmington, said this approach has worked well for her, both in interactions with patients and in her personal life.
“It is evidence based that compassion actually makes care better,” she noted.
Varun Jain, MD, a member of the audience, expressed gratitude to the session’s speakers for teaching him something that he had not learned in medical school or residency.
“Every week you will have one or two people who will be labeled as ‘difficult,’ ” and it was nice to have some proven advice on how to handle these tough interactions, said the hospitalist at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn.
“We never got any actual training on this, and we were expected to know this because we are just physicians, and physicians are expected to be compassionate,” Dr. Jain said. “No one taught us how to have compassion.”
Dr. Fortin and Dr. Andrews disclosed no relevant financial relationships.