... was what I was reminded of yesterday. I have been really puzzled recently, as I had two patients who have to stay for an extra few days at hospital, because they were waiting for investigations or were not well enough to be discharged. They were both quite upset about it, and kept on saying "I am not happy". I actually got quite fed up with them, as they made me feel really bad (ie. I have let them down as a doctor), but there was no other way I could change the situation.
Anyway, I talked to a mate about it, and he was liked - they did not want you to apologise, but to empathise and understand what they are going through. Sometimes, as doctors, we tend to focus on what we can do, wanting to solve the problems at hand, instead of staying still and listen ...
