'Difficult' Patients Tend to Get Worse Care

What happens to medical care when the patient is a jerk?

Dutch researchers asked the question in two new studies, and the answer should make grumps think the better of their bad behavior: "Disruptive" patients may get worse care from physicians.

The findings aren't definitive because the researchers tested how physicians responded in fictional vignettes, instead of real-life encounters. Still, the results suggest that patients who make a scene distract physicians from doing their jobs.

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