As healthcare workers, we are often faced with patients or family members filled with emotions, who are distressed and anxiety filled. When a patient or family member is upset or expressing a problem, whether right or wrong, keep your cool and turn down the H.E.A.T.

H.E.A.T. is a service recovery acronym:

Hear them Out
Empathize
Apologize
Take responsibility/ action

Hear them out:

Look and Listen. Looking at your patients and acknowledging them is the first step in understanding the issues. You’ll improve the patient’s experience simply by looking and listening which communicates you care about their issue no matter how minor it might seem to you.
A person yells and is loud because they feel they are not being listened to. They will start to calm down if they feel you are listening. So pay attention. Listen actively – take notes. Nod your head. Look at the person and pay attention. Say “Uh huh” , “Oh, I see”, “Yes, I understand”, etc. make eye contact, summarize or reflect what you hear.

Empathize:

Feel what your patient is feeling by putting yourself in their shoes. Name their emotions: “I understand that you are frustrated, and I can see why. I would be too.” This shows that you are hearing not just what they are saying but how they feel about it as well. By showing your patient you understand, you can begin to defuse the situation.

Apologize:

This one is important, especially if you did not personally make the error or create the situation that’s making the patient angry. The last thing the patient wants to hear is that you didn’t do it. Maybe “you” didn’t do it, but your company did – and you’re a team. A simple “I’m sorry” can go a long way. Stand united, and take the HEAT for your team.

Take responsibility/ action:

Make sure you have an action plan ready to follow your apology. How are you going to fix the problem? What can the patient expect next? It will probably sound something like, “I’m so sorry that this has happened. Here is what I can do for you now….”

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Domain I: utilize communication skills, approaches and frameworks appropriate for a given situation to meet stakeholder needs.