I was called to see a patient. He was rather stubborn but rich. All the while he was treated at different unit in a private hospital. Of course, he was given just medicine for his illness. I brought along a group of well dedicated staffs comprising of nurses and occupational therapist (OT).
When I reached his home, he was just lying on the coach. His constipation made him sick. His chronic illness made him immobile. I was challenged for coming to someone’s home and pretending to help. But I insisted that no time should be wasted as I was a busy clinician. As a result of the exchange of words, I excused myself.
My staff knew what should be done. They took over my role. My sister and OT continued the insistence and they managed to move him to clean himself in the toilet adjacent to the living room.
As they moved him, the rest of the team cleared the mess. Finally we managed to nurse not just the patient but also the rest of his living room.
The point is simple. When dealing with uncooperative vis-a-vis stubborn patient, acting is necessary. It is similar to managing a stubborn kid.
Father has to act as aggressor while mother, retaliator. They must synchronize not to blame each other. The aggressor must set the limit and go. Then, the retaliator move in slowly and tactfully telling him to behave. In most cases, this approach works.
We followed him again the next day. I passed the case to his doctor as I am not the one who treat him regularly. I was just the actor!
Idea-logy 