Whilst on my previous placement, i was treating an elederly pt who had undergone a TKR, this pt was often difficult to deal with as he would sometimes make inappropriate sexual remarks towards me, and also had difficult daughters who when present at treatment sessions would encourage this behaviour and interfere with treatment sessions constantly. Where as a routine ortho pt would usually take 30mins max to treat this man would often take me well over an hour due to his various behaviours.
When the pt first made inappropriate remarks about me, i just laughed them off as i was a bit shocked, luckily my supervisor was with me and told the pt that making comments like that towards me was totally unacceptable. The comments frustrated me as i felt they showed a total lack of respect, and it made me uncomfortable when going to treat him thereafter, as i wasnt sure how he was behave.
I discussed my pt's behaviour with my supervisor and he told me if he kept it up, to just tell him i was there to do his Rx . get it done as quickly as possible and leave.
Luckily i didnt have to resort to this, instead when i went to see him i was wary of my own behaviour and made sure that I was strictly proffessional and kept him on track and did not leave much time for general conversation but focused purely on the exercises. Although the pt frustrated me and i didnt like treating him, i still hade to make sure i gave him optimal Rx and never let my feelings show. Thankfully he caught on pretty quickly that the things he had said in the first few sessions werent acceptable and he adjusted his behaviour and Rx sessions improved a great deal and in the end i didnt mind treating him
The situation has taught me that although we must always behave proffessionally, there are some things we dont have to put up with from patients, however the main thing is to not take their comments personally or let them upset you, see it as their problem not yours and just ignore them and get on with the job have a bit of laugh about their behaviour and dont let them ruin your day. If i was faced with this situation again i would deal with it similarly howver if the pt did not adjust their behaviour i woulud get someone to come into the room when i was treating them also.
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4 comments:
It must be hard with a pt displaying that sort of behaviour to still give a professional and effective Rx session because of their lack of respect and not taking you seriously. I myself havent had that happen to me (probably would happen more to girls than guys), but i can see that having another person in the room would make a big difference, especially with the whole "hands on approach" that physios have it could easily be taken the wrong way by a patient. Having another person in the room will not only make the pt more comfortable (or less comfortable with making inapproaprite comments) but also help create a professional atmosphere
I encountered a similar situation on my last prac, except instead of making sexual remarks, the patient kept making racist remarks. The remarks were not directed at me personally, but to other cultures. I briefly expressed my disapproval at his comments and then quickly moved on, letting the patient know that I was not going to engage in such conversation. Thereafter, I simply ignored any inappropriate comments and he quickly got the picture. I could have entered into a lengthy debate with the patient about his views but decided little could be achieved by this, and instead just focused on his treatment.
I think you handled the patient well, and hopefully taught him something about appropriate behaviour!
I think that you may have to take assertive action in some instances to cease inappropriate behaviour, rather than to ignore it and hope that it doesn't persist. If a patient makes a comment, particularly of a sexual nature, that is clearly inappropriate, a physiotherapist could tell them that it is inappropriate and that you will not tolerate such comments. Sometimes the initial shock sets you back and the therapist can be stuck for words. However, a firm, immediate comment is effective in setting boundaries. You should also document inappropriate behaviour in the patient notes.
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