“Difficult” medication patients and how to treat them

This chapter will cover the overriding principles of managing difficult patients, including: the patient who abuses the telephone; the overly anxious patient; the patient preoccupied with side effects; the minimal contact patient; the non-compliant patient; the patient who needs to be in charge; the information overload patient; and the “naturalist.” The chapter will conclude by reminding the reader that the patient is not always the problem, looking into the ways in which consultation style plays a role in the reactions of “difficult” patients.