DECEMBER 2021 | EYEWORLD | 95
P
Contact
Pinto: pintoinc@aol.com
Wohl: czwohl@gmail.com
care to another practice. In this case, you
must legally protect the practice and doctors
by following state guidelines for proper notice
to the patient and transferring the health
record.
Preparing all staff and doctors for uncom-
fortable and potentially dangerous patient inter-
actions is now sadly necessary and in general,
good practice for improving customer service
and patient satisfaction. Being prepared can
help keep employees and doctors safer during
hostile patient encounters, and even if you nev-
er need to use your training, the confidence
of knowing what to do in these situations will
help everyone feel more confident in these
difficult times.
• Keep your responses simple and easy to un-
derstand. Avoid overly detailed explanations
that could add confusion or be perceived as
answers that are defensive and unwelcoming.
• Be aware of your body language. Saying that
you appreciate their feedback and want to be
helpful while at the same time having your
arms crossed in front of you sends a mixed
message and is intuitively received as lacking
empathy.
When diffusing the situation may not be
working, you may need to:
• Call 911. It is better to err on the side of safe-
ty and call for assistance if the situation feels
threatening. The police can make the decision
to remove the patient from the premises.
• Don't hesitate to work with the police and
court system if you want to press charges or
establish a restraining order.
• Decide if you want the patient to remain in
your care or if you want to terminate the
patient/doctor relationship and transfer their
