This may come as a surprise, but people can be nasty.
We live in a very litigious world populated with incredibly demanding or just downright difficult people. As a health care professional, at times it's like walking through a mine field.
Sometimes you need to pick your battles. Be the bigger person. An apology, even if you have to fake it, can resolve issues and prevent them escalating. Experience is a great teacher and I've learned a lot from it.
I received a call from the manager at one of my usual locums. Apparently someone was very upset because she wasn't able to pick up her meds and it was my fault. I'll be honest and say that it was. The bag of meds was small and had fallen behind other bags, so it was easy to miss.
She wanted an apology, and the patient's name and number was passed to me. Then I decided to wait. I would do it tomorrow, when I was passing by the pharmacy. I would not go near my mobile.
Health care professionals shouldn't use their mobile/cell to get in touch with patients. This is something we should all observe, no matter what discipline you belong to.
Firstly, a patient's number is private information and for me to dial it on my mobile (which saves the number) can be interpreted as a misuse of her information.
Secondly, she could accuse me of a myriad of things. Aggressive language, raising my voice, sexually inappropriate comments, the list goes on. You need to watch your back, because the world is full of people who need only the smallest thing to fly off the handle.
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