Depression can be a profoundly disabling and costly disorder and is a major public health concern. Despite the efficacy of treatment options, it is often unrecognized, under-diagnosed, and inadequately treated in primary care settings. Research on patient-provider communication supports the connection among the quality of the patient-provider interaction, patient behavior, and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the impact of patients' depressive symptoms on the patient-provider relationship, patient-provider communication, and patient satisfaction with the primary care office visit. One hundred twenty three patient-provider encounters were audiotaped and coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). A 2 x 2 x 2 within-subjects factorial model provided the analytic framework for examining eight verbal communication behaviors categorized by speaker (patient or provider), type of utterance (question or information giving), and content of utterance (medical or psychosocial talk). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the two-level nested structure of the data. Results indicated that depression is associated with, but does not predict, increased provider-perceived difficulty in the patient-provider relationship. There was no significant change in either patient or provider communication behavior in relation to the severity of patients' depressive symptoms. Significantly more provider medical information was given during encounters with "difficult" patients and this behavior had a consistent negative effect on patient satisfaction. Patient-provider communication, by itself, does not appear to be a source of depressed patients' oft-reported dissatisfaction with medical care. Additional research is needed to further understand the core processes and structures of primary care practice in relation to the diagnosis and management of depression, their effect on patient outcomes, and to uncover opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of depression care in primary care.

Bakgrund: Femton procent av alla möten inom vården upplevs som besvärliga av vårdpersonal. Besvärliga möten inom vården har stora följdverkningar, inte bara för patienten utan även för vårdpersonalen. De “besvärliga” patienterna riskerar att få sämre vård och bemötas med mindre respekt än övriga patienter. Besvärliga patienter är inte någon väl definierad patientgrupp utan karaktäriseras av en mängd olika egenskaper och symptom. Det finns en kritik mot användandet av begreppet besvärlig patient då det riskerar att fungera stigmatiserande och diskriminerande. Syfte: Beskriva vilka strategier vårdpersonal har för att bemöta den “besvärliga patienten”. Metod: Uppsatsen är en litteraturöversikt av elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Artiklarna analyserades med avseende på likheter och skillnader i resultatet. Resultat: Fem kategorier framkom: Bygga relation, Kontakt och kommunikation, Närhet och distans, Stöd och support samt Undvikande och kontroll. Huvudfynden speglar de strategier som vårdpersonal använder i mötet med den “besvärliga” patienten. Där återfinns både strategier som främjar en god patientkontakt och strategier som i förlängningen leder till negativa konsekvenser för både patient och personal. Slutsats: Strategier vårdpersonal använder i mötet med patienter som upplevs som besvärliga handlar till stor del om att uppnå en fungerande kommunikation och en god relation. I detta ligger strategier som betonar att lyssna, ge tid samt uppträda empatiskt, respektfullt och ärligt. Det finns också strategier som kontrollerar patienten eller begränsar patientens personliga frihet. Klinisk betydelse: Kunskap om vilka strategier som finns ger vårdpersonalen viktiga verktyg i den kliniska vardagen i mötet med den så kallade besvärliga patienten. I slutändan kan detta leda till en ökad patientsäkerhet och en vård av högre kvalitet för en sårbar och utsatt patientgrupp, samt en förbättrad arbetsmiljö för vårdpersonalen. / Background: Fifteen percent of all encounters in hospitals or health care facilities are perceived by health care staff as difficult. Difficult encounters have wide range of consequences for both the patient and health care professionals. A “difficult” patient is more likely to receive inadequate treatment and be treated with less respect. What constitutes a difficult patient is not well-defned, and they may be characterized by a broad range of personal and behavioural characteristics as well as symptoms. There are critical arguments against the verbal use of the difficult patient concept, as it may have a stigmatizing and discriminating effect on such a patient. Aim: Describe the strategies used by health care professionals when dealing with the “difficult patient”. Methods: The study is a literature review, in which the results of eleven scientific journal articles are compared and contrasted. Results: The main results reflect the strategies health care staff use when dealing with the “difficult” patient. From the litterature, five strategic categories have emerged. These categories include: Build relationship, Contact and communication, Closeness and distance, Help and support and Avoidance and control. These include both strategies that promote a good relation with the patient and strategies that lead to negative consequences for both patients and health care professionals. Conclusions: Strategies used by health care professionals when caring for patients perceived as difficult focus on achieving effective communication and a good relationship. These strategies emphasize listening, giving time and acting with empathy, respect and honesty. There are also strategies that control the patient or restrict the patient’s personal freedom. Relevance to clinical practice: This thesis presents an overview of which strategies exist for dealing with so called difficult patients, knowledge of which is vital for health care professionals working in clinical practice. This can lead to improved patient safety and health care of higher quality for a vulnerable and exposed group of patients, as well as a better working environment for the health care staff.

[Truncated abstract] This PhD project was comprised of three major studies. Study 1 utilised the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to identify a typology of difficult patients in private practice physiotherapy and to determine strategies physiotherapists use and would like to improve, when dealing with such patients. Physiotherapists (n=37) also shared their expectations of patients and their perceptions of patient expectations of physiotherapy. Results showed that the two areas most difficult to manage were behavioural problems of patients followed by patient expectations. To assist in their interaction with difficult patients, physiotherapists identified communication skills and behaviour modification techniques as strategies they would most like to learn. While physiotherapists expressed the greatest number of expectations in the behavioural domain, identification of patient expectations was not elicited as a strategy to manage difficult patients. Results of this qualitative study contribute to the evolving literature relating to physiotherapist-patient interactions and form a useful basis for educational programs directed at improving the therapeutic relationship in private practice physiotherapy. Study 2 involved applying the NGT with separate groups of patients (n=26) to identify patient expectations of the qualities of a ‘good’ physiotherapist, and to ascertain the characteristics of good and bad experiences in private practice physiotherapy. Findings indicated that the qualities of a ‘good’ physiotherapist related to their communication ability, professional behaviour and organisational ability, and characteristics of the service provided. The most important expectations of patients were for example, symptomatic relief, self-management strategies and ‘hands on’ treatment; associated with the physical domain. When comparing equivalent groups from Study 1, with patient expectations, most patient groups identified that the most important expectations of physiotherapists would relate to patient behaviours such as; compliance, honesty, payment of their account, being punctual, cooperating, trusting and showing respect for their physiotherapist. However, physiotherapists’ rankings of the most important expectations held by patients were not congruent with patient rankings providing an explanation as to why problems may arise in the physiotherapistpatient interaction from the patient’s perspective. Based on the findings of Study 2 it was suggested that physiotherapists should actively seek to involve patients in their management. To do this effectively, physiotherapists would benefit from further training in communication skills to ensure that they can successfully adopt a patientcentred approach and to optimise the physiotherapist-patient interaction in private practice physiotherapy.