4 Types of Patients You Should Care About

One of the most interesting parts of the work of healthcare providers and healthcare communicators is that they have the chance to interact with different types of patients. This helps healthcare communicators to practice and improve their specialty. But at the same time, this requires healthcare communicators to be flexible when working with different patients. 

So, why do we need to categorize our patients? This article will provide more insights into how many types of patients are and how to work with each type.

Table Of Contents

1. Why do we need to categorize patients?
2. 4 types of patients we need to care about
   • The self-diagnoser (The researcher)
   • The skeptic
   • The passive independent
   • The open-minded “explorer”
3. The last word

Why do we need to categorize patients?

Different patients have different behaviors and ways of acquiring knowledge. Therefore, we need to sort out patients to

• Provide the best support and care: Some patients do not know about the disease they are suffering from. However, some patients actively study their health problems before seeking help from physicians. For each type of patient, healthcare providers and healthcare communicators will adjust their support and treatment plan so that the support will be suitable and enough for their patients.
• Find out the best way to communicate and educate patients: Patients will acquire and understand knowledge differently due to the gap in knowledge and awareness. Some patients may not understand any healthcare information at all. Hence, understanding different types of patients helps us to have the best way to communicate and educate our patients.

4 types of patients we need to care about

The self-diagnoser (The researcher)

This type of patient will actively search for symptoms whenever they have health problems. They will take the time to look up information about the disease on the internet, the latest treatments, and maybe the medicine they need to take. This type of patient expects to participate in decisions, often due to feeling that their research has empowered them in the decision-making process. 

• What you need to do: Educate them about the reality of misinformation spread on the internet and to look for trusted health information from Healthcare organizations. And as they want to participate in the decision-making process, let them do it. Once they feel engaged, trust will be created between both sides. Healthcare communicators will find it easier to educate those patients.

Recommend reading:

• How Patients Use Online Research to Seek Health Issues And Doctors

The skeptic

These patients are always looking for a second opinion. They may come to their appointment with medical knowledge after a little online research. However, this patient may not accept any of your explanations or advice, and they may even question your diagnosis. One of the reasons for this is that such patients often rely on their own opinions after learning of a diagnosis or treatment options.

• What you need to do: Understanding is the most important thing that builds up the relationship here. You need to let patients know that you understand their problem and are willing to walk through the hardship with them. And once again, educate them to look for trusted information since what they have searched for may be false.

The passive independent

The passive patient prefers to leave all aspects of healthcare decisions in the hands of their medical professional. This type of patient feels that their physicians know the best option for them. They will mostly rely on their physicians.

• What you need to do: This kind of patient may not need to be educated as they let their physicians do everything. However, fundamental knowledge on how to prevent disease or how they can do daily care needs to be transferred to them.

The open-minded “explorer”

These patients see diagnosis and treatment as bridges to connect doctors and their patients. They tend to explore more healthcare knowledge, and they view healthcare and medicine as an art more than a science.

• What you need to do: In addition to the support and care during the treatment and education process, healthcare communicators can provide them with post-treatment tips, maybe some extra information and knowledge about other healthcare issues. This is an excellent way to keep a relationship with patients.

The last word

Different types of patients will think and act differently. Therefore, healthcare communicators must understand their patients and categorize them into classes. You will know the best way to support and communicate with your patients with clear classification.

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The 9 Types of Patients You’ll Care for as a Nurse

No two shifts are alike. But the longer you work on the nursing floor, the more you can’t help but notice patterns in the types of patients you treat. They make you laugh, make you cry, make you want to pull your hair out and, at times, remind you of exactly why you got into this line of work. No matter what, you can always count on them to liven up your shifts.

Where would you be without this colorful cast of characters to care for? Keep reading to see how many of these types of patients you—and just about any nurse—will have treated throughout your career.

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9 types of patients you will encounter in your nursing career

Work long enough as a nurse and you’ll inevitably encounter these patients who fit the following profiles.

1. The self-diagnoser

You know this patient. This is the one who is convinced they’ve contracted a rare, African bird disease after entering a few common cold symptoms into an online symptom-checker. If a diagnosis was really that easy, then medical professionals would be out of the job. Thankfully nurses are there to field the questions and help correct the diagnoses when they go a little overboard.

“This patient is sure they have something rare, trendy and difficult to treat,” says Nick Angelis, CRNA, MSN and author. “They are often disappointed when they don’t have multiple specialists asking them insightful questions they’ve already prepared answers for.”

2. The one with the overbearing family

Here’s another one you’re likely to see. You know the drill—walking into a patient’s room chock full of visiting family members. All eyes shift to you. In an instant they bombard you with a litany of questions. Or they try to speak for their fully capable family member in a misguided attempt at showing they care.

“These patients are typically sweet and laid back, unlike everyone related to them,” Angelis says. “Often, family members ignored them until they got really sick and are now trying to make up for it at your expense.”

Sometimes impassioned, sometimes dysfunctional, but never without a million questions—the overbearing families of your patients can always be counted on to keep your shifts interesting.

3. The one you get attached to

You’ve been told not to get attached to your patients, but the head and the heart don’t always agree. You’ll likely find yourself remembering special patients long after they’re gone. Whether it was their optimistic outlook, or the way you bonded before a big surgery, some patients occupy a special place in your heart.

“Almost every nurse I have ever known has developed attachments to certain patients,” says Teri Dreher, RN, CCRN, iRNPA. “Nurses who sincerely care for the welfare of their patients holistically will give more focused, intentional and attentive nursing care. Emotionally healthy nurses will be able to set boundaries, while at the same time, perform competent, loving care and nurture their patients.”

4. The skeptic

These incredulous patients are always looking for a second opinion. They may come into their appointment with medical knowledge after a little online research. However, this patient is hesitant to accept any of your explanations or advice, questioning your every move.

“Sometimes you can’t blame them—if they’ve been from doctor to doctor only to be hurried through the system and placed on some drug that works on most people,” Angelis explain, “But if they were most people, they wouldn’t be asking for a fourth opinion.”

5. The one that never goes to the doctor

You know this patient—the grumbling husband, dragged into his appointment by his concerned significant other. They’re rarely happy to see you and think their time would be better spent elsewhere: Running errands, finishing that project at home or a million other excuses. And they can’t remember the last time they had a checkup appointment.

“Between hospital-acquired infections, mistakes, drug allergies and side effects and treating the symptoms instead of dealing with the root cause, this patient has had enough,” Angelis says. He goes on to describe two other types of patients that fall into this category: the patient in denial who doesn’t want to hear that they’re sick, and the patient in excellent health who wants to stay that way. Either way, they’re not happy to see you – but you don’t take it personally.

6. The pampered patient

“Their orange juice is more important than the other patients’ coding, and don’t you forget it!” Angelis jokes. “Clear communication to avoid over-promising and unrealistic expectations is required to handle this patient.”

You know the type—this patient wants special treatment, grows irritated at unexpected wait times or strolls in late to their appointment. They want the five-star experience during their stay and might show their diva side when things aren’t up to their high standards—and some seem to not have the time of day for their appointment.

“Some patients won’t put down their cell phones,” says nurse allergist Patricia Adamson, RN of Becker Ear, Nose & Throat Center. “That has proven to be very difficult to treat them.”

7. The one who thinks they’re the nurse

You’ll treat a few of these patients throughout your career, too. They may have grown up with a medical professional in the home. They may have spent one summer working at a veterinary clinic, or maybe their spouse is a nurse’s aide. No matter the case, they think they know enough to make sound medical decisions—despite how much your professional opinion differs.

“Their rudimentary knowledge is useless because they actually think they know enough to be consulted,” says Angelis. “They’ll say things like, ‘My neighbor died after taking a blood pressure medicine, so I’d better not.’” 

8. The selectively ‘natural’ patient

Ever the curiosity, the selectively natural patient seems to opt for homeopathic remedies on a whim, but what they have in selectiveness they lack in consistency.

“These are the type who take Tylenol at the first glimmer of a headache but decide to try an all-natural labor,” Angelis says. “They might substitute homeopathics for vaccines, but have no trouble bleaching and dyeing their hair every month or pouring out pesticides to have a weed-free lawn.”

9. The one who reminds you why you do what you do

Even on your toughest days when nothing seems to go right, there will always be the patients who remind you of why you responded to the call of nursing and took up the rigor and reward of the field.

Whether it’s the humbling moments of your toughest patients fighting for their lives, the patients who are truly grateful for your care or simply knowing you made someone’s time in the hospital a brighter experience, these special patients come into your life again and again to remind you of why you first became a nurse.

Learn from fellow nurses

No matter how many types of patients you’ll care for in your years on the nursing floor, some aspects of a nursing career can’t be taught within a curriculum—they have to be experienced. A lesson plan can only take you so far when it comes to comforting a nervous patient or consoling a mourning, grieving family. These are things you learn to do primarily from experience and with a little wisdom from your fellow nurses.

Every patient has their own endearing qualities, quirks or challenges, but it’s your passion for helping that keeps you sporting your scrubs with a smile during every shift. But for those trying days, get a little advice from the pros in our article, “10 Terrific Tips for New Nurses Dealing with Difficult Patients.”

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• What Makes a Good Nurse? Experts Reveal What It Takes
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90,000 Different types of patients – how to deal with each of them?

What classification do we use?

The Soviet therapist, Professor Roman Luria, back in 1935, introduced the concept of “internal picture of the disease” into clinical medicine. It includes all the emotions experienced by the patient, his well-being and, in general, the idea of ​​​​the disease, its causes. This concept is still widely used in medical psychology and has become the basis for creating a classification of psychotypes of patients.

Since 1980, Russian medical psychology has been using a classification of types of attitudes toward illness. It was developed by a team of doctors led by MD Andrey Lichko. It includes 12 psychotypes and covers almost the entire spectrum of possible reactions to the disease that has arisen. They were identified on the basis of an assessment of the influence of 3 factors: the characteristics of the somatic disease itself, the type of personality, in which the most important component is determined by the type of character accentuation and attitude to this disease.

This classification remains relevant in our time and is actively used in practical medicine.

The principle of dividing patients into psychotypes

Lichko and Ivanov identified 12 psychotypes of patients and placed them in 3 main blocks.

First unit includes:

• harmonious,
• ergopathic,
• anosognosic type.

With these types of attitudes towards the disease, mental and social adaptation does not suffer significantly. With a harmonious type of response, patients adequately assess their condition. They actively participate in the treatment, observe the prescribed regimen. At the same time, they strive to overcome the disease.

Patients with ergopathic and anosognostic types of attitude to the disease are characterized by a decrease in criticality to their condition, an underestimation of the significance of the disease up to its complete displacement. This can be manifested by a behavioral violation of the doctor’s recommendations, going to work, sometimes denying the fact of the disease. However, there are no pronounced phenomena of mental maladjustment in these patients, which made it possible to conditionally include them in one block with a harmonious type.

The second and third blocks include types of response to the disease, characterized by the presence of mental maladjustment due to the disease and differing mainly in the intrapsychic or interpsychic orientation of the response to the disease.

Second unit includes:

• alarm,
• hypochondriacal,
• neurasthenic,
• melancholic,
• apathetic type.

These types of attitudes are characterized by an intrapsychic orientation of the personal response to the disease. It causes violations of social adaptation of patients with these types of reactions. The emotional-affective sphere of relations in such patients is manifested in maladaptive behavior: reactions of the type of irritable weakness, anxious, depressed, depressed state, “withdrawal” into the disease, refusal to fight.

The third block included:

• sensitive,
• egocentric,
• dysphoric
• paranoid type.

They are characterized by an interpsychic orientation of the personal response to the disease, which also causes violations of the social adaptation of patients. Such a sensitized attitude to the disease is manifested by the maladaptive behavior of patients. They are ashamed of their disease in front of others, they can use it to achieve certain goals, they build concepts regarding the causes of their disease and its chronic course, they show heterogeneous aggressive tendencies, blaming others for their illness.

Which course of action to choose?

The doctor must choose a line of conduct based on the individual characteristics of the patient, his attitude to the disease.

Harmonious type

There are no problems in communicating with such a patient. Together with him, you can discuss the program of his treatment and rehabilitation. The patient usually actively cooperates with the doctor, fulfills all recommendations. Adequate attitude to your condition helps to quickly cope with the disease.

Ergopathic and anosognosic types

The peculiarity of these types of patients is that they are reluctant to cooperate with medical personnel. Feeling the improvement, they can independently stop treatment until the next exacerbation. Therefore, when working with patients of these types of reactions to the disease, it is necessary to involve their family members, as well as to control the treatment at all its stages.

Alarm type

Such patients require a “maternal” approach and patience. The patient is given information about the disease, a full-fledged rehabilitation program is drawn up and discussed in detail with him. Anxious patients like to talk to the doctor. However, they need to be periodically encouraged and encouraged. You need to be prepared for the fact that an anxious patient will always find something to worry about, something to doubt. Therefore, throughout the illness, you need to calm him down, inspire faith in a good outcome.

The same tactic is carried out in patients with a phobic type of reaction to the disease.

Hypochondriacal type

The patient and his family are given adequate rational information about the disease and treatment. The family needs to be adjusted to the fact that the patient can constantly complain about feeling unwell. Medical workers and patients of the hypochondriacal type are doomed to mutual long-term cooperation. Such patients will never become “well”, so they continue to turn to doctors.

Tolerance must be shown, although in some cases it is necessary to say: “for today you do not need to continue treatment, you are healthy.” In some cases, advice on lifestyle changes can help. For example, find a hobby. If the patient takes this into account, then he will have less time to find new numerous symptoms and new problems.

Neurasthenic type

Relations with such a patient should be built at the level of rational information, according to the “adult-adult” type. Patients of this type are very irritable, everything drives them crazy, he sees flaws everywhere. Irritation easily spills over to healthcare workers. Doctors should not enter into lengthy discussions with such patients and make excuses. It is necessary to agree with the patient so as not to annoy him, and then distract him with a conversation in which to give him seriously and persistently rational, correct recommendations.

Melancholic type

When working with such patients, they should be praised more often for individual achievements, successes in treatment, and talk more with them. Emphasis on the positive effects of treatment will improve the mental state of these patients. In the absence of time for a conversation, it is worth looking into the ward, smiling reassuringly at him. The “mother” method of communication is most suitable for such patients.

Apathetic type

Such patients are passive and do not show any desire, initiative in their treatment, medical professionals should take it upon themselves. Treatment must be constantly monitored, as well as rely on the support of relatives and friends.

Sensitive type

Such a patient needs to be dissuaded in the existence of obvious and imaginary dangers, to inspire confidence in a positive outcome of therapy. Such patients are timid, afraid to annoy others with their complaints. They need to be actively called to talk, questioned, approved of their initiative.

Egocentric

Usually such patients had hysterical traits of character even before the disease, which now exacerbate the disease. Not all the whims of such a patient need to be fulfilled. In dealing with egocentric patients, both tolerance and firmness are needed in equal measure. Relationships need to be built officially, according to the “adult-adult” type. Family members should also be aware of the patient’s personal characteristics and not allow his excessive demands and selfishness to manifest.

Dysphoric type

Usually these are patients who have pathocharacterological personality traits (excitable or epilentoid type). It is difficult to work with such patients. Relationships must be built on the principle of “adult – adult”, the manner of communication is official.

Paranoid type

Such patients often believe that spoilage or the evil eye is the cause of the disease. Is it necessary to dissuade the patient of the fallacy of his interpretation of the causes of diseases? This is decided individually. If the patient is convinced of the “evil eye” and wants to resort to the help of a healer, psychic, it is not always necessary to dissuade him. Sometimes, after successful rituals of “corruption removal”, patients calm down, become more accessible for the intervention of doctors.

Output

Interaction with some of these patients can bring the doctor obvious mental discomfort, fatigue, and in some cases even lead to emotional burnout. But knowing the characteristics of the patient’s psychotype helps the doctor to better understand his needs, expectations, fears and emotional reactions. This allows you to optimally organize the process of interaction with patients, use certain tools of influence.

Thus, understanding the type of patient’s response to the disease will help make the interaction between the doctor and the patient more effective and comfortable for all participants in the treatment process.

Types of patients: what are they and how to find an approach to each? | Materials from companies

Even Hippocrates identified 4 main types of temperament (sanguine, melancholic, choleric and phlegmatic), which, despite the individuality of each person, mean a generalized model of behavior.

So in the case of illness, everyone behaves differently. Not only the physical, but also the mental state changes: who adequately perceives, who panics, denies or goes into experiences. Absolutely different attitude to the prescribed treatment.

The division into psychotypes has been used in our country since 1980. The classification is based on three factors: the peculiarity of the disease, the type of personality and the attitude towards this disease.

Photo: medicina360.ru

A total of 12 psychotypes were identified, which cover the entire range of possible reactions to the disease. These psychotypes, in turn, are divided into 3 blocks, the first of which distinguishes people who perceive their diagnosis calmly and do not focus on internal experiences.

These are harmonic, ergopathic and anosognostic types. Such patients adequately respond to the diagnosis, actively participate in treatment, try to comply with all prescriptions, and are determined to defeat the disease. Unlike the harmonic type, when the patient is determined to complete the treatment, the ergopathic and anosognostic types tend to abandon treatment when they improve, so they often need more control and the involvement of relatives.

The second and third blocks include psychotypes that, one way or another, but strongly enough, react to their illness.

Intrapsychic orientation:

• increased anxiety when you need to calm and encourage;
• constant feeling of being unwell (hypochondriac type) – patience is required here;
• irritability, when it is better for the attending physician to agree with the patient in order to then give the necessary recommendations;
• apathy, lack of desire to be treated – treatment control and family support are needed.

Interpsychic orientation:

• sensitive type of patient, vulnerable and concerned about the opinions of others, needs approval and active involvement in treatment;
• the egocentric type, on the other hand, exposes the disease for increased attention – here formality and firmness are required;
• paranoid – does not believe in drugs and believes that he was jinxed or spoiled;
• dysphoric type — with manifestation of hatred and anger towards healthy people; in treatment, a special approach is needed, based on the strict fulfillment of professional duty and tolerance.

For more information on psychotypes and ways of behaving with patients, you can find in the article https://medicina360.ru/article/raznye-tipy-paczientov-kak-vesti-sebya-s-kazhdym-iz-nix

And we should not forget that not only successful treatment depends on the right approach to the patient, but also the emotional state of the doctor himself, so it is desirable to identify the psychotype already at the initial stages of interaction.