Care of the Difficult Patient

Developed collaboratively by a doctor and nurse team, this is the first text to deal specifically with nursing difficult patients. Whether patient problems stem from mental distress and ill health, historic substance abuse, demanding family members or abusive behaviour, difficult patients place extra demands on nurses both professionally and personally. Caring for difficult patients requires both technical and interpersonal skills along with an ability to exercise power and set limits.

This text presents invaluable practical recommendations and advice, well founded in experience and supported by relevant literature, for nurses coping with challenging, real world situations. Including learning points, further reading, case studies and dialogue examples to highlight good (and bad) practice, the book covers pertinent issues such as psychiatric diagnoses, setting limits and establishing authority, death and dying, stress and work. It is ideal for pre- and post-registration nurses, providing concrete direction on the management of difficult patients.

A stay in hospital is a traumatic experience for most patients; however, some patients may be more difficult than others to care for, because of mental distress and ill health, historic substance abuse, demanding family members or abusive behavior, for example. "Difficult" patients place extra demands on nurses professionally and personally. Developing the skills required to deal with difficult patients is therefore vital to the smooth running of any hospital ward.