As Pandemic Fatigue Grows, Some Patients Are Becoming Combative. Is Your Team Prepared?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to resurge in the United States, urgent care providers aren’t the only ones at risk of experiencing burnout. Many in the general public have had it with restrictions, isolation, and worry over sick loved ones (or those at risk), with some acting out with hostility toward healthcare workers. A woman in Berks County, PA was arrested recently after intentionally coughing on a nurse in an urgent care center. When the nurse told the woman she would have to wait in her car until an exam room was ready, the woman pulled down her mask, let loose with a cough directly in the nurse’s face and said “Take that!” according to a report on Pittsburgh television station KDKA. The woman has since been charged with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. While this is an extreme case, it’s likely that you or your team has been confronted with patients who lose their temper, whether it’s over pandemic-related issues or not. JUCM published an article that could be helpful in preparing you and them for patient confrontations. You can read Dealing with Angry Urgent Care Patients in our archive.