Laupus Library offers guidance on confrontations with angry patients and families.

Health care providers are called upon every day to have difficult conversations with patients and family members. When patients become angry or upset, it’s important to know the most effective ways to respond.

A new research guide has been developed by Laupus Library to help providers and staff at East Carolina University quickly access current research on this topic.

“Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date information about a myriad of relevant health care topics,” said Jeff Coghill, director of Eastern AHEC library services. “We make sure these research guides are free, authoritative, widely available and easy to use at both the patient and health care professional level.”

The guide can be viewed at http://libguides.ecu.edu/TheAngryPatient along with many others posted at http://libguides.ecu.edu/.

Further education and in-person training on this topic is available at an upcoming program this spring offered by Eastern Area Health Education Center (EAHEC), the Office of Continuing Medical Education of the Brody School of Medicine, and the Clinical Skills and Assessment Lab.

Close Encounters of the Medical Kind: Simulation in Difficult Conversations will be held May 18 in the Clinical Skills and Assessment Lab, located on the second floor of the Eastern AHEC building.

Health care providers will have the opportunity to learn and practice effective interpersonal communication skills during emotionally charged encounters with standardized patients. Challenging topics such as opioid prescribing and other scenarios will provide the backdrop for practicing essential communication skills.

Questions about the angry patient research guide may be directed to Jeff Coghill, director of Eastern AHEC library services, at coghillj@ecu.edu.

Questions about the program may be directed to Laura Bliley, assistant director for nursing and allied health education at Eastern AHEC, at blileyl@ecu.edu.

More information about Eastern AHEC may be found at http://easternahec.net/.