# 21 My Book Launched. What Does That Mean?
My book launched on January 13th and that was very exciting. What did that actually mean? Well, it is available to order through this link. It is also available through Amazon.com (search the book name) although it still says it is on pre-order for the paperback version. This is a selfie that I took after I opened up the box of books that came to my house. That was a proud moment.
This is a medical text directed at physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, paramedics, and all the beautiful people who take care of patients. Would non-medical readers find it interesting or appealing? Every one of us will become a patient at one time or another in our lives. I believe that learning about that relationship from both sides would serve one greatly.
The Kindle version is available now. The publisher put out a press release on the Cision PR Newswire that went out to news outlets and healthcare journalists. This is an excerpt of the press release:
Dear Colleague:
I am writing to recommend a source or guest for your news outlet: Dr. Joan Naidorf. Dr Naidorf can bring a critically important perspective to your coverage of healthcare topics. She is the author of the new book, published this week,
Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients: A Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals
Physicians enter their professions with the highest of hopes and ideals for compassionate and efficient patient care. Along the way, however, recurring problems arise in their interactions with some patients that lead physicians to label them as “difficult.” Some studies indicate that physicians identify 15% or more of their patients as “difficult.” The negative feelings that physicians have toward these patients may lead to frustration, cynicism. and burnout.
Caring for difficult patients poses a tremendous challenge for physicians, nurses, and clinical practitioners. It may contribute significantly to feelings of burnout, including feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and lost sense of purpose. In response, Dr. Naidorf offers a pragmatic approach to accepting patients the way they are, then provides strategies for providers to find more happiness and satisfaction in their interactions with even the most challenging patients and families.
Here are just some of the topics the author discusses in detail:
§ What Makes a ”Good” Patient?
§ Four Core Ethical Principles of the Clinician-Patient Relationship
§ The Four Models of the Physician-Patient Relationship
§ What Challenges Anybody with Illness or Injury?
§ How “Good” Patients Handle the Challenges of Illness and Injury
§ Six Common Reactions to Illness and Hospitalization
§ On “Taking Care of the Hateful Patient”
§ Standards for Medical Ethics
§ De-escalation Strategies
§ Cultural, Structural, and Language Issues
§ Types of Patients Who Tend to Challenge Us
§ The Think-Feel-Act Cycle
§ Recognizing Our Preconceived Thoughts
§ Three Common Thought Distortions About Patients
§ Asking Useful Questions
§ Getting Out of the Victim Mentality
§ Guiding our Thoughts Through a Common Scenario
§ Show Compassion, Feel Compassion
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. We Can’t Stand Some of Our Patients
§ Negative Think
§ The Hidden Curriculum
§ Choosing our Thoughts with Think-Feel-Act
§ Choosing our Thoughts with Intention
Chapter 2. What Makes a ”Good” Patient?
§ The Virtual Instruction Guide
§ Four Core Ethical Principles of the Clinician-Patient Relationship
§ The Four Models of the Physician-Patient Relationship
Chapter 3. What Challenges Anybody with Illness or Injury?
§ Seven Fears Associated with Illness
§ How “Good” Patients Handle the Challenges of Illness and Injury
Chapter 4. How Do Sick and Injured People Feel and Act?
§ Six Common Reactions to Illness and Hospitalization
Chapter 5. On “Taking Care of the Hateful Patient”
§ The Dependent Clinger
§ The Entitled Demander
§ The Manipulative Help Rejector
§ The Self-Destructive Denier
Chapter 6. Responding to Dr. Groves: An Evolving Understanding
§ Standards for Medical Ethics
§ The Romanell Report
§ De-escalation Strategies
§ Responses in the Medical Literature
§ Cultural, Structural, and Language Issues
§ The Divine Spark
Chapter 7. Our Least Favorite Patients
Chapter 8. How to Manage Our Thoughts
§ The Think-Feel-Act Cycle
§ Recognizing Our Preconceived Thoughts
§ Actions That Move Us Toward Better Outcomes
§ Awareness of Negative Thoughts
Chapter 9. Three Common Thought Distortions About Patients
§ Arbitrary Inference
§ All-or-Nothing Thinking
§ Mirroring Emotions
Chapter 10. What We Think: Two Common Thought Distortions
§ Resisting Reality
§ Adopting a Victim Mentality
Chapter 11: Working Against Ourselves
§ The Need to Seek Approval
§ Personalization
§ Perfectionism
Chapter 12. How We React
§ Thoughts and Emotions
§ Inactions and Negative Reactions
Chapter 13. Turning It Around
§ Asking Useful Questions
§ Finding What Has Gone Right
§ Deciding How You Want to Feel
§ You Can Handle This
Chapter 14. Getting Out of Our Own Way
§ Accepting Reality
§ This is the Part Where …
§ Getting Out of the Victim Mentality
§ Choosing Thoughts with Intention
Chapter 15. How It Works
§ Guiding our Thoughts Through a Common Scenario
§ Decide How You Want to Feel
Chapter 16. Why Does It Matter?
§ Retrain Your Brain
§ Show Compassion, Feel Compassion
Chapter 17. No More Difficult Patients
§ A Dose of Reality
§ Learning the Skills
§ When You Make a Mistake
§ Show Compassion for Yourself
About Joan Naidorf, DO
Dr. Joan Naidorf is a board-certified emergency physician trained at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia. After growing up in Highland Park, NJ, she obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia. She practiced for nearly 30 years in the busy emergency departments of Inova Alexandria Hospital and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.
As an author and speaker, she has been sharing important ideas with students, residents, and practicing physicians through various online and direct engagements. She was recently appointed to the editorial advisory board of The DO magazine.
Her proudest accomplishment has been raising three compassionate and intelligent children alongside Toby, her devoted husband. Toby supplies many stories of the patients who challenge him from his busy gastroenterology practice. In her spare time, Dr. Naidorf enjoys reading, traveling, playing tennis, and walking with Dolly, the miniature poodle.
About the American Association for Physician Leadership
drawing by Victor Cruceanu
The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) is focused on the personal transformation of all physicians, and through them the organizations they serve. With the goal of improving patient outcomes, workforce wellness, and a refinement of all healthcare delivery, AAPL has remained the only association solely focused on providing professional development, leadership education, and management training exclusively for physicians since its founding in 1975. In those 45 years, AAPL has educated 250,000+ physicians across 40 countries — including CEOs, chief medical officers, and physicians at all levels of healthcare. www.physicianleaders.org
I recorded one podcast and I am scheduling a few more to help get out the book and mainly its message: You can change your thoughts about difficult patients! If we weren’t struggling with that viral pandemic, I would probably throw a party. Maybe we can do it outside when the weather warms up. Lets see where this goes!
