Medical Staff

One is six patients is difficult, say female doctors

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, March 10, 2009

Physicians say that for every six patients they see, one is difficult, according to a new study. That could mean doctors see up to four difficult patients a day, according to the New York Times.

Researchers at Newton-Wellesley (MA) Hospital evaluated the 113 physicians  who reported frequent difficult encounters (from the 426 total respondents of the survey), according to the study, “Burden of difficult encounters in primary care: Data from the minimizing error, maximizing outcomes study,” published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Those physicians who reported more difficult encounters tended to be younger, female doctors and were 12 times more likely to report being burned out than those who said they had fewer difficult encounters, according to the New York Times.

The study suggests that more experienced doctors may react better to difficult patients, according to the New York Times.

Most Popular

Related Articles