The Dissatisfied Patient

The surgeon’s goal is to consistently achieve the best possible outcome based on each patient’s specific requests and needs. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, unfavorable results and complications, while uncommon, will occur, thus becoming an integral part of our surgical practice. Such conditions could result in an unsatisfied patient and a distressed surgeon as well. Reasons for a postoperatively unhappy and dissatisfied patient are multiple and complex and can result from several reasons. These range from inadequate initial consultation and patient’s unrealistic expectations to true surgical errors or complications that might require reoperations and a short or lengthy recovery period; all further aggravating an already difficult situation. Every surgeon should be well versed and prepared on how to prevent and manage as much as humanly possible, unfavorable outcomes. He/she should be able to manage patients with the utmost respect, patience, a calm demeanor, and above all honesty, even in difficult and hostile encounters. The goal should be to reach the most satisfactory resolution within the most reasonable timeframe. In addition to the true medical issues, the surgeon will need to take into consideration as well as other issues related to social, psychological, financial, and legal issues. In this chapter, suggestions for using best practice advice and management of the unhappy and/or dissatisfied patient will be presented in detail based on personal experience and current thoughts on this topic.