Have you encountered patients who are requesting for opioid pain medications or contraindicated medications? Or have you come across patient demanding MRI for trivial headache? Doctors are faced with such unreasonable requests from patients almost every day. Sometimes it becomes necessary for doctors to clearly say no to such requests and bear being a ‘bad guy’ in patient’s eye. Here are some ways to refuse inappropriate requests from patients in such a way that patients understand the reason behind your denial and co-operate with the treatment plan.
1. Say no firmly If you are not going to agree to a patient’s unreasonable request, then tell them ‘no’ clearly. For example, if a patient is requesting an opioid pain medication but you think it is unnecessary or inappropriate for the patient, tell them you are not going to prescribe it . If you are not firm and clear about your refusal,…
