How to Handle Substandard Requests Professionally but Firmly

Have you ever seen a patient get angry at their doc?

It isn't pleasant (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯)

A few months back, I met a patient in pre-op

It started off nicely enough

• I introduced myself and gave my title
• I asked questions about the patient's history
• I conducted a focused physical and airway exam

Then I told him the anesthesia would be general
↳𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙤𝙪𝙩

• "No way I'm letting you put me under"
• "My internist said it would be sedation"
• "My cousin died after general anesthesia"

The list of objections kept growing ... 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢.

His massive beard, hiatal hernia, ongoing Ozempic use, and poorly controlled diabetes ...
↳Made him a prime-time aspiration candidate 🤮

The standard of care is the standard of care
↳Even when it offends or hurts the patient's feelings

Oh, and about his surgery ... 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮: Never compromise the standard of care at a patient's insistence .. 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍!

𝗣.𝗦. - 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗲?